oikos®

Accompanying the growing interest in hydronic heating and cooling, WaterFurnace offers the Spectra series of water-to-water heat pumps. For residential applications, the most common heat source would be a ground loop of tubing circulating an antifreeze solution. Because it can provide chilled water for cooling in addition to heated water, a heat pump has a big advantage over a boiler.

Hydronic radiant slab heating generally needs a delivery temperature of 85-90 degrees F, making it well-suited to a heat pump. Here's an example using Spectra performance data. If the source temperature is about 30 degrees F, there would be a 60 degree F temperature rise to reach the temperature needed to heat the slab. Spectra's Coefficient of Performance (COP) for a 60 degree F temperature rise is about 3.8. In contrast, forced-air delivery might require a 100 degree F temperature rise and operate at a COP of around 2.5. Another important feature of the Spectra series is its small size. The smaller units are roughly 30 in. x 24 in. x 30 in. The larger unit adds only seven inches to the length. The capacity of the Spectra water-to-water series ranges from three to ten tons.

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