Conducive Learning Environment
With modern solutions
- Main Contractor: Naylor Love
- Mechanical Contractor: David Browne Contractors Ltd
- Consultant: Mott MacDonald
Less fatigue & comfort in a workshop
Thermal camera photo of underfloor heating at Bowater Toyota
Products:
- Chofu air-to-water 16 kW Heat Pumps x4
- Hydronic Fan Coils in showroom x2
- 2075m Multitubo pipe
- Manifolds x2
Situation
Bowater Toyota, the Toyota Dealer of the Year for 2014,2015 and 2016 is a family owned company spanning four generations. The Bowater Motor Group have been supporting Nelson/Tasman region since 1945. Bowater Toyota has full franchise branches in Nelson, Richmond and Motueka. Bowater Toyota Richmond workshop areas recently undertook a renovation and a building extension. With little to no solar gain in the workshop area, staff members often felt cold and fatigued.
Location: NelsonMain Contractor: Tim Miller Plumbing
Installer: Tim Miller Plumbing
Approach
Like most other buildings of this type there are little to no windows, and the doors are frequently open making it a hard space to heat without any possibility of solar gain. The concept for heating this space was to use a large PV solar array to capture potential solar gain and via the heat pump underfloor system put this energy into the floor slab. The floor slab set points are increased in periods of potential high solar power and this is then used to load the slab with heat. Outside of these periods the system will be set back to its maintenance temperature. This system consists of 4 Chofu 16kW air-to-water heat pumps with each pair providing heating via an underfloor heating manifold using a primary/secondary circuit arrangement. Heat is also provided to the 2 hydronic fan coils in the showroom to help boost the temperature in this space. Over time the set points will be adjusted to find the balance of maximising the free operation of the system from PV solar with paid maintenance to achieve the desired comfort level.
Outcome
The CEO (Tony Bowater) says, “I can comment that the team in Richmond are enjoying the comfort level and have already commented that they are feeling less fatigued from standing on the cold concrete floors and the ambient temperature has been consistently above 16 degrees so the work comfort has certainly improved. Aside from the environment aspect I believe this will certainly benefit staff retention and recruitment in the future.”
Underfloor heating is particularly well suited to buildings with high ceilings. The radiant effect of heat from the floor is effective up to a height of about two metres, so the problem of heat gathering at the top of the room is less than with other systems. Making it the ideal form of heating. The use of PV solar array paired with the Chofu air-to-water heat pump results in lower running costs with higher comfort.
