Unico efficient delivery system for renewables

The Unico System is highly efficient at delivering heating and cooling comfort and Ron Buttery explains why this is significant when linked to renewable energy sources.

A wave of new energy and climate change legislation - as well as the effects of existing DEFRA rules yet to be implemented - will hit UK home owners and organisations over the course of the next parliament and beyond.

By 2016 many existing homes and heating systems will simply be unfit for purpose as far as intended rules are concerned and, for new build at least, conventional heating (and cooling) systems are unlikely to meet the strict laws designed to combat climate change.

It is unlikely, for instance, that anything less than 100% efficient in terms of energy used will be obsolete, so the traditional marriage of boiler and radiator could become a thing of the past.

The use of renewable energy, of course, will counter the need for wholesale change but the most efficient sources, such as solar collectors and heat pumps, have a specific limitation when it comes to transferring their energy into usable heat for homes and buildings - the operating temperature.

In normal operating conditions, the higher the temperature required, the lower the efficiency.

Take heat pumps; widely touted COPs (coefficient of performance) ratios of up to 4.5:1 are only possible when delivering low-grade energy into buildings.

A modern radiator system just could not use that energy source to maintain comfortable room temperatures, however well insulated the building.

Designers and architects are looking to less conventional delivery systems to turn efficient renewable energy into useful heating.

Underfloor heating is an ideal vehicle for this energy because of the large surface area of a floor; using water at, say 40 degrees, rooms can be adequately heated to provide comfortable living conditions.

But UFH is not suitable for all rooms or buildings, it is very expensive to install (particularly to existing buildings) and it often need a secondary system to provide boost or more instant heating.

Increasingly, architects and specifiers are choosing America's favourite small-duct product, The Unico System.

The advantages of Unico are well documented, with or without legislation the System delivers better efficiency, better comfort, absence of cold spots, even temperatures, ultra low sound levels, freedom from draughts and - of course - freedom from radiators or external pipes and ducts.

In fact, many people living and working in Unico System environments are completely unaware of how the heating and cooling are delivered, with only small outlets in ceilings or skirting boards visible in each room.

Unico System is a small-duct, high-velocity air system that uses low temperature water or refrigerant to transfer heat to ducts that run out of sight in ceiling voids and wall spaces.

Uniquely suited to low-temperature sources, including geothermal and air-source heat pumps, the Unico System is much more efficient at delivering comfort using low-grade energy than traditional means.

It is ironic that the system offering the best in comfort is also the best way to convert low-grade heat into energy for your home, office, restaurant, church, factory - in fact, any internal space.

And the benefits go further, with almost instant heat or air conditioning available at the touch of a button.

We may not know yet exactly how the legislators will introduce the energy efficiency campaigns over the next couple of years but, one thing is certain.

With renewables becoming a much more prevalent feature of home comfort, a delivery system that already ticks all the boxes and deals effortlessly with sustainable sources, will surely grow and grow.

Ron Buttery, Sales Director - Unico System UK.

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