Hybrid HVAC, Thermal Storage & Net Zero Goals | Hydrosolar - Build Webinars

Join Matt Risinger as he deep dives into the world of new and upcoming mechanicals, the benefits of hybrid systems and their purposes in housing. Matt is join by Ian Shulman, a Technical Manager, who will go into combining solar thermal with air to air/air to water heat pumps; how does it change the performance of the system and how to store the energy short-medium and long term.
Learn more at hydrosolar.ca/
Key Takeaways:
-Combining HVAC systems to produce desired results
-Solar Energy & how to store it/use it.
-Reasonable energy goals in the short, medium, and long term.
Panelists:
-Matt Risinger: CEO & Chief Builder, Risinger Build & Build Productions
-Ian Shulman: Technical Manager
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Huge thanks to our Show sponsors Builders FirstSource, Polyguard, Huber, Rockwool & Viewrail for helping to make these videos possible! These are all trusted companies that Matt has worked with for years and trusts their products in the homes he builds. We would highly encourage you to check out their websites for more info.
www.bldr.com/
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[@bellaxroz]

So excited to see Hydro Solar expanding. We have one of their systems on our house and they have been so helpful in finding the best solution for our needs. Keep it up guys you're making a difference.

[@user-bh9fj3jn2j]

how do you like their system? We're putting in a 7 ton monoblock air-water heat pump this summer for our infloor heating

[@dwilliamsnetosnet]

I talked with Hydro Solar a few months ago regarding a large commercial project. It should be mentioned - this concept equally, or perhaps more so, applies to any scale commercial project. I was extremely impressed with my sit down with them as well as the follow up proposal. I thought I was crazy asking for the systems I was dreaming up. Turns out I am not crazy. They said yes to everything and added more on top. Very impressive co!! Thanks Daphne and Roger. The project is still under way in prelim. Very exciting.

[@adamw2785]

There is a distillery in Idaho called Solar Spirits and they use evacuated solar tubes to heat their distilling systems. The guy who runs the distillery used to be a chemical engineer, and he designed it all. You should do a video with him.

[@curtybaby]

this is very much what i want to do with my home. thank you for sharing.

[@paladain55]

I'm assuming the main market for this is people with boilers existing. Very neat. People with just hot water are still better off with a heat pump

[@user-tv5dt3nm9y]

Great presentation Matt, Ian, and Co. In planning to build a personal home in the US south, I am planning on using rain water as a primary water source with underground cistern storage of several thousand gallons. Using a hybrid approach, how great would it be to drop a 'coil" into the cistern to precool the fluid in a water to air chiller and or use that cistern in other ways to optimize other parts of the home energy equation. Food for thought.

[@Padoinky]

I like learning about all of the new/boutique building science products and systems/services that are being developed and introduced into the marketplace… That said, I think we’d all agree that like any new and innovative product/service, the adoption and inclusion of said will be a long and fitful timeframe, especially w/ regard to the consumer/residential market - over 30 yrs, we’ve owned 15 homes/condos and leased 3 “flats”, across 9 states/13 cities and 3 foreign countries and the regional approach to building residential homes even w/ “standard” bldg products/systems, are many and varied. Would like to see some manufacturers combine forces and build a few “demonstration home of the future” concepts, that would be modules that can be assembled/disassembled and have a traveling “roadshow”, to relevant conference, conventions and even state fairs, to introduce both the trades and the buying public, to the art of both the possible and the practical… Matt: maybe a “Build Show” roadshow??

[@meyeuSingleMum99]

Me too ! OMG I 1st watched your video was 11 years ago... and today you still look young and skinny 😊❤

[@tysonb.7773]

I'd love to do a solar thermal storage for hot water and slab heating

[@tysleight]

I seriously looked at glycolic system and it was more efficient to put PV and a heat pump. I ended up going with just a space pac air to water heat pump and prepped for solar. I just installed it but have not commissioned it due to additional construction on the adjacent building that is sharing the system. We have peak rates so I can heat with cheap grid power . This is my personal shop so I'm testing before I offer it to a client.

[@sergeishulman1937]

Very good explication of a very complicated system ❤

[@tbix1963]

Would of been nice if he talked about absorption cycle chillers. I remember back when I first studied this type of solar collection. The primary issue was there was only one manufacturer developing a residential sized unit. One of the greatest benefits was these systems use infrared which is not typically blocked by overcast clouds.

[@Zorlig]

Look at the adsorption ones, just using water. I think they can work great and could be quite effective if you have a pool to heat using something an outdoor wood boiler or have free heat somehow, but for normal applications a heat pump wins

[@tbix1963]

@@Zorlig absorption chillers use the hot water from solar to phase change the coolant instead of a electric powered compressor. That’s the real money saver in a hot climate. Minimize your electrical load during summer and lean on the grid in the winter when electric loads are down. They are mostly seen in industrial settings. They run primarily on heat not electricity.

[@Zorlig]

@@tbix1963 yes but those use some nasty chemicals. Take a look at the adsorption ones, which just use low pressure water.

[@irinarau8453]

Very interesting and useful ❤

[@bobnomura2068]

Wow - pretty interesting. During my college years getting a Mechanical Engineering degree in the 1970s, solar power = solar heating, no PV. The only storage solution was hot water tanks back then. Applying current technology makes it amazing. I guess their systems could be used for jacuzzies ?

[@meyeuSingleMum99]

OMG I 1st watched your video was 11 years ago... and today you still look young and skinny 😊❤

[@curtybaby]

this needs to be mandated if you ask me. what a great way to add elasticity to the grid and be environmentally conscious

[@tealkerberus748]

Mandating a particular system forces people to use it even when it's not the best solution for their needs. There are plenty of situations where this isn't the best solution - even though it is so excellent in the situations where it is the best solution. A quick example would be a weekend retreat for a large family. A solar thermal hot water system that can handle the whole family wanting showers over the weekend will be ridiculously oversized during the week when there's nobody there. The same would apply for an empty-nest grandparent with the whole extended family visiting for holidays.

[@curtybaby]

@@tealkerberus748a silly response

[@bahopik]

measuring heat in tons is kind of odd. It was used to measure capacity of refrigeration system to produce ice

[@robertgeiger2268]

👍

[@Casmige]

Glycol is a poor conductor though….although it IS Boil-Over &/or Freeze-resistant.

[@scorpio6587]

The sound level is too low.

[@buddyrevell511]

User error.

[@95dodgev10]

Must be user specific, I only have my volumn at 25% and can hear just fine

[@2point..0]

Liked#93 N Subbed and will surely contact Hydrosolar soon!!!

[@mphuie]

IME these systems are too complicated (and expensive) for their own good. Solar PV is cheap and simple . Just oversize your system instead of expanding into thermal. That said, if you're off-grid or have other constraints, they're worth considering.

[@tealkerberus748]

If you're off grid that's even more reason to oversize your PV. It powers your winter heating and your summer cooling.

[@smith899]

Question! I just had a house built. The electrician said it is now normal for printers and vacuum cleaners to make the lights blink because the breakers are more sensitive than they used to be. And code requires 15 amp circuits on most outlets. I had to pay to have a 20 amp circuit installed after the fact to keep my outdoor refrigerator from tripping the fuse. Is this true?

[@7_of_9]

Yes and no. Something like your central AC may flicker LED but you should only notice if you are looking at the led bulbs directly. If they flicker noticeably then you have an issue going on with your electrical design. Builders / developers make homes as cheap as possible and often undersize circuits to 15amp instead of 20amp or not have enough dedicated receptacles in order to saved money on wiring and breakers etc.....

[@smith899]

@@7_of_9 Thanks.

[@nigel493]

A Breaker size can never cause a dip in electricity if its functioning correctly. No amount of bull from anyone could make that make sense.

[@Ariccio123]

Breakers only do two things. 1. Conduct electricity. 2. Break conducting electricity. Newer breakers, probably he's referring to AFCI breakers, trip under more conditions to stop more faults. If your lights are blinking but not shutting off, it's not the breakers. If *some* of your lights *dim* a bit when you turn a big load on (like an old vacuum), you have an undersized circuit somewhere. If *all* of your lights dim a bit, you have a much bigger problem. Make sure that all screws that connect wires in your house are tightened with a torque screwdriver to the specified torque (or a torque wrench for the big ones like the main neutral lug). If you ever have an old motor driven appliance trip an AFCI breaker, try plugging it into a noise filtering single outlet surge protector. This electrician is either unsure what the problem is (and not interested enough to figure it out), or is just trying to make the problem go away. I recently had to fight my HOA for months because there was an issue with the neutral connection in a shared meter panel. They didn't understand or care. None of the electricians they recommended could figure it out. The power company didn't know. I was persistent and clear: intermittent neutral to ground voltage that peaks around 60v and blows out electronics with 192v sustained for minutes is a problem with the neutral connection. Sure enough, eventually forced them to care, the main neutral lug (screwed into an aluminum busbar) was totally stripped and barely making contact.

[@smith899]

@@Ariccio123 What would be my best course? Supposedly, we have a 1 year warranty with the builder which ends in 6 months. The original electricians say it is fine. Do I hire another electrician to check it out and write up what is wrong? Will that screw over the second electrician? Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!

[@JoeMcDugger]

I don't see any benefit to solar thermal anymore. Solar PV coupled with a geothermal or air-to-water heat pump can provide better overall efficiencies, and these systems will provide hot water even when the sun isn't shining. With PV you also don't have to worry about overheating in the summer and having a plan to dump the excess heat if you're generating too much hot water.

[@philipvecchio3292]

I think that there would be if there was an absorption cycle air conditioner. If you can use the heat from solar thermal to cut your electric use by 2/3. I really like the PVT hybrid panels because You can boost your PV electric generation as well as increase the longevity of the panels by keeping them near an ideal temperature. I've seen them used quite a bit for car washes. You can get so much more raw energy out of Solar thermal.

[@wanderer3586]

Agree. I wish there were more air to water ac systems available on the residential market

[@JoeMcDugger]

​@@philipvecchio3292 Maybe PVT makes sense in hot desert climates, but in dominant heating climates solar panels aren't likely to get hot enough to provide much heating when it's needed. I personally wouldn't want to mess with a solar panels filled with water/glycol. Sure solar thermal has high efficiencies compared to PV, but it can't be boosted with any other technology. A decent PV panel can yield 20%+ and then run that through a heat pump with a 3-5x COP and you're easily matching or exceeding solar thermal efficiencies. In the summer you could even exceed 100% equivalent solar efficiency on producing hot water as the COP of heat pumps rises drastically in warm weather.

[@lpdirv]

Probably depends on use case. I have this system and at the time 12 years ago, it was worth it. PV with air to water heat pump probably makes sense today. There is some complexity in the solar thermal as far as pumps and maintenance. Depends on your system and requirements. I am thinking of adding an air to water heat pump as i have hydronic heat. Good to have options especially as I live in a cold climate. These guys are from Winnipeg where they get both the hot and very cold. My system is well paid for now.

[@philipvecchio3292]

@@JoeMcDugger You can get up To 75% efficiency with a PVT. And it's not in either or. You can use the heat in conjunction with the heat pump. My Community College had a co-generation plant That used the waste heat To evaporate the coolant and then compressed The coolant, kind of in the opposite way that a lot of heat pumps are set up, but they use significantly less electricity. There's no reason why that heat couldn't come from solar thermal with photovoltaics powering the compressor. We have refrigerators in RVs that run off of the heat from propane, it's not new technology, it just hasn't really been applied to using solar thermal heat. I live in New York and I have a West facing porch with glass. I actually used that porch in fall and spring to heat my house. This spring I watched my thermostat go up five degrees Fahrenheit just from that, I think you'll be surprised how much heat you actually get. I also use solar thermal To help clear my driveway. In the part of the driveway I don't use very much. I usually just clear a small path And the Heat of the sun against the blacktop is usually enough to start melting the snow pretty quickly. If you max out your solar PV and all of them are PVT, It's probably technically an oversized thermal collection, but if you can use it for running your air conditioner, you probably have more than enough Heat to keep you warm most of the time with a small natural gas boiler to get you through the coldest darkest parts of winter. But even let's forget the ways that you can use the heat. By keeping PV panels around the right temperature, you are increasing the amount of electricity produced in the real world by about 5% And likely extending the longevity of the panels as well. If you can extend the life of a solar panel by 5 to 10 years, that's not nothing. Currently there are researchers saying that people should hang their solar panels vertically to increase production rather than having the panels in an optimized location for solar collection because the heat is such a problem with PV panels. They say that putting the panels vertically rather than at an ideal angle for your latitude can actually boost electricity production. PVT likely will show that same boost in production while also providing hot water for whatever your needs.

[@Zach-ed4nx]

Lol.

[@jcook69camaro]

no such thing of 1 ton of heat.

[@user-pz3xm9zw9x]

Ummm... 1TR = 1 ton (of refrigeration), typically used for chilling but is also used for heating = 12000 btu/hr. 1 ton for short. You will find heating only devices with nominal capacities in tons.

[@jcook69camaro]

@@user-pz3xm9zw9x don't know where you got your info heating is only rated in btu. cooling is rated in tons and btu.

[@leightonstockton5718]

Sounds like the vacuum tube panels are using heat pipe technology. This is an interesting technology that has many applications, and although it's been around for quite a while, it's seeing a bit of a revival. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2LFqK17hJ2Ledk