Remote Hot Water Command Signaling for Economy Mode Override
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to reduce domestic energy and water consumption, particularly in European households where 75% of heating and cooling is generated from fossil fuels, and there is a shortage of potable water due to over-exploitation, pollution, and climate change.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for an in-building hot water supply system that incorporates a heat pump or solar heating arrangement, an energy store with a phase change material, and a supplementary heating element, allowing for efficient use of renewable energy and reduced energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If heat pumps are used to replace gas boilers, then renewable energy usage increases and CO2 emissions reduce, but device size, installation complexity, and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a heat pump unit for heating, a thermal storage tank for energy accumulation, and a control system for coordination. This segmentation allows the heat pump to be installed externally without requiring complex integration into existing building infrastructure, reducing overall installation complexity while maintaining renewable energy benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal storage tank pre-stores thermal energy before it is needed, allowing the heat pump to operate during off-peak hours or when renewable energy availability is high. This preliminary action decouples the timing of energy production from energy consumption, simplifying the control requirements and reducing installation complexity
2Loss of energy
If heat pumps are used to provide hot water, then fossil fuel dependency reduces, but response time increases due to startup delays
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal storage tank continuously stores thermal energy in advance, so when hot water is demanded, pre-heated water is immediately available. This eliminates the startup delay inherent in heat pumps while maintaining the benefit of reduced fossil fuel dependency, as the heat pump can operate at its optimal pace without rushing
3Object-generated harmful factors
If combination boilers are replaced with alternative heat sources, then carbon emissions reduce, but installation cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the heat pump unit from the thermal storage and distribution system, the replacement can be implemented in stages. The heat pump can be installed externally by specialists while existing internal plumbing and control systems are retained, significantly reducing installation cost compared to complete system replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pump unit is designed to serve multiple functions: providing hot water for domestic use and supplying heat to the thermal storage tank for later use. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems and lowers overall installation cost while maintaining reduced carbon emissions
4Loss of energy
If hot water storage tanks are installed to enable heat pump usage, then renewable energy integration improves, but space requirements and heat loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal storage tank utilizes vacuum insulation technology with thin vacuum barrier layers that provide exceptional thermal insulation with minimal thickness. This reduces the tank's volume and space requirements while minimizing heat loss, enabling effective renewable energy integration without significant space penalty
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables users to control the hot water supply by manipulating a controllable water outlet, optimizing energy use by switching between an economy mode using renewable energy and a mode using supplementary heating to achieve desired flow and temperature, thereby reducing energy and water consumption.
Implementation Method 1
an energy store with a phase change material
Implementation Method 2
incorporating a heat pump or solar heating arrangement
Implementation Method 3
incorporating a heat pump or solar heating arrangement
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a method of signalling a command to a water heating appliance remote from a controllable water outlet fed from the appliance via a water supply installation, the method comprising: monitoring the water supply that feeds the controllable water outlet; detecting a sequence of changes in a property or state of the water supply consequent on operation of the controllable water outlet; correlating the sequence of changes with a stored pattern; detecting a match above a stored threshold; interpreting the match as a command. It is thus possible to manipulate a tap, or other controllable water outlet, to signal to a processor so that the temperature or flow rate of water supplied by the outlet can be increased. Thus a water supply system may have default flow and temperature levels designed for economy and low water usage, but a user can on demand override one or both of these limitations without the necessity of needing to go to the appliance to reset it. The water heating appliance is preferably an instantaneous water heating appliance. Also provided is a water supply installation including a water heating appliance, a controllable water outlet remote from the appliance, a water supply line arranged to feed the controllable water outlet with heated water from the appliance, and at least one sensor to sense a property or state of the water supply line, and a processor coupled to the at least one sensor; the processor being configured to detect a sequence of changes in a property or state of the water supply consequent on operation of the controllable water outlet; correlate the sequence of changes with a stored pattern; detect a match above a stored threshold; interpret the match as a command; and take an action in accordance with the command.