Understanding The Efficiency of Your Hot Water Heating System

The legislation and pressure to minimize the carbon footprint of every project means that you must consider the long-term operating costs and environmental impacts of every aspect of the construction program.

The hot water system plays a crucial role in the overall energy consumption, be it a home project, a commercial office, or even a public sector building such as a school or hospital.

It is vital to define products for the long term with urgent financial and environmental benefits.

It is easy to entrust the specification of a hot water system to contractors. However, some contractors may focus on offering the lowest capital cost solution to maximize their project margins without proper guidance.

The best way to know how efficient a hot water system is.

The number one factor in determining the efficiency of a water heater is the time it takes to heat its contents.

When less time is taken to heat the cylinder, the less energy is consumed, the less costs are required, all other things equal.

If you look at the basic process in a traditional hot water system, the water is heated by a coil, and the heating rate depends on two areas.

How quickly the coil heats up, determined by its thermal conductivity. And secondly, the surface of the coil transfers heat to the water.

Compare the two main materials used in coils, copper and stainless steel. It means that the stainless steel coil will take much longer to raise the temperature to the required level compared to the copper coil.

When it comes to transferring heat to water, the critical factor in determining speed is the physical surface of the coil in contact with the water.

The larger the surface area, the more heat can be transferred, the faster the heat recovery process.

When it comes to maximizing coil surface area, copper is a much more flexible material than stainless steel.

For example, for a solar coil, many copper cylinder manufacturers typically offer approximately in square meters of coil per square meter of solar panel – stainless steel units are usually less than half that ratio.

Copper coils can also be available with a ribbed profile, which significantly increases the coil’s surface area, reducing the time required for the heat transfer process.

The combination of much higher thermal conductivity, the ability to accommodate more copper coil in a cylinder than a stainless steel coil, and the ability to include a finned coil to increase surface area further mean that copper is a significantly more efficient material to use for water heaters, get the hot water systems online.

Conclusion

So when you are looking into how you can improve the environmental aspect of your next project and provide your client with a low-maintenance solution, consider the hot water system and make sure you are using the best and most efficient material for the job.