Heating and cooling of commercial spaces can account for a large portion of the building’s running costs.
To minimise this impact, more and more businesses are turning to hydronic heating and cooling solutions for commercial buildings. As well as significant cost savings, this solution offers numerous benefits making it a good investment.
Hydronic heating and cooling solutions
Compared with traditional heating solutions that disperse hot air, hydronic heating uses a boiler or an air-to-water heat pump to heat water which is circulated through piping to heat the building.
This solution employs a closed-loop system. Once the water has travelled through the circuit, it returns to the heat pump or boiler to be heated again, making it more energy-efficient.
Hydronic solutions effectively retain heat throughout the whole building. They also require less energy to maintain individual room temperatures. Because water is a much better conductor of heat than air, hydronic heating systems hold their temperature with much greater efficiency, and don’t lose valuable heat energy in vents and ducts.
Hydronic heating systems also use radiant heat, which is especially beneficial for commercial buildings with high ceilings or poor insulation. Hydronic systems directly heat the areas where people are working, rather than heating the air in the entire building. Energy usage can significantly drop with radiant heating, especially for large industrial buildings and warehouses.
Installing a hydronic system in a commercial building enables more effective climate control within the entire building. This will ensure less energy is wasted.
Big savings
Hydronic heating units can cut heating bills up to 35 per cent compared to gas ducted or central heating systems. For large commercial spaces, this annual saving is a huge advantage for long-term savings and for leaving a smaller carbon footprint.
Not only do hydronic systems effectively heat rooms at lower thermostat settings, but also lose less heat through windows and doors. These advantages help cut down costs that can otherwise add up with central ducted heating systems.
There are additional long-term cost-saving benefits too. Hydronic heating systems are typically simpler and have fewer components than air-forced units. This leads to lower maintenance costs and fewer parts replacements.
By using a reverse cycle air-to-water heat pump, hydronic systems can also be used for cooling, eliminating the need and cost of installing a separate air conditioning system.
Highly customisable
Hydronic systems are highly customisable in construction & installation, in its use of fuel, and in the way it’s controlled. Hydronic solutions provide greater control over individual room temperature than traditional forced-air systems, resulting in far less waste heat, maximising efficiency.
There are also several different options for installation that can be tailored to your needs and the design of your commercial space. These include underfloor trench heating, radiators, slab heating and hot water Boilers on finance.
Custom-designed hydronic heating and cooling systems can use significantly less energy than traditional systems.
Sustainable solution
With the continued demand for sustainable building designs, the need for sustainable heating and cooling solutions has increased. Commercial hydronic heating and cooling systems can even be designed to utilise solar power as an energy source.
Integrated heating and cooling systems provide eco-friendly and sustainable solutions for climate control in any commercial building project.
With a growing awareness by consumers of the impact industrial emissions have on the environment, it’s more important than ever for commercial businesses to employ more eco-friendly options.
Hydronic heating systems are low impact, using far less fuel than conventional systems.
Good for your health
Switching from air-vents to radiator panels helps create a healthier indoor environment. Even with regular maintenance, traditional air-vent heating and cooling systems regularly fill with dust mites, bacteria and allergens which are sent through the air.
Radiator panels that evenly disperse warmth from the circulation of hot water prevent dusty air from being cycled throughout the building.
With all the benefits of hydronic systems, they are becoming an increasingly popular choice for commercial heating and cooling systems across Australia.
Talk to the consultants at Hunt Commercial to find out more about how your building can become more sustainable with hydronic heating and cooling systems.
