DECARBONISED
HEATING AND COOLING SOLUTIONS
Specialists in Clean Energy Solutions
It is our objective to deliver heat-pump based heating solutions that take an integrated approach to system design and application. Our experience has demonstrated that this approach results in a solution that achieves the desired energy efficiency in order to offset the increased capital cost of alternatives to traditional fossil fuelled boilers. It is also our experience that where heat-pumps operate efficiently they are more reliable, have significantly longer service life and enhance the overall cost-effectiveness of the system.
The track record of the use of heat-pump technology in boiler replacement projects has been poor throughout much of the industry, due to a ‘drop-in replacement’ approach being taken in many instances. This has directly led to poor efficiency, and as a consequence, high maintenance costs as well as poor durability of the products across many applications. We seek to expand upon our involvement in existing successful projects and to lead the industry in the application of heat-pump technology by ensuring the efficiency of the heat-pump is not compromised through poor application and integration.
Key to our work is an in-depth understanding of both transient thermal systems and the factors that determine heat-pump performance in real-world conditions. Our ability to model design concepts using localised climate data allows us to validate the proposed system’s ability to meet demand and to optimise the efficiency before investment is made in equipment purchase and installation.
Our Decarbonised Energy Solutions are built on Variable Primary Flow Heat-pump technology. This approach avoids the inefficiency inherent in the more conventional primary / secondary system designs more commonly used in the industry, and which were developed around fixed capacity heating systems.
A Selection of Our Projects
Industry Focus Areas
Decarbonisation of Industry Programme
Benefits of Heat-pump Water Heaters
New Zealand has a largely renewable electricity generation system. With the scheduled closing of the Tiwai Point Smelter by 2024, there will be a substantial increase in electricity supply onto the market, particularly in the South Island.
Heat-pump water heaters, when correctly applied, use this electricity to generate 3 units of heat for each unit of electricity on a seasonal basis. No other technology available can match this level of efficiency.
With significantly lower maintenance than other renewable heat sources, heat-pumps water heaters offer a reliable, sustainable and cost-effective solution.
- Low carbon energy distribution, compared to carbon intensive fuel extraction and distribution for biomass i.e. using trucks to move fuel from source to site.
- No requirement for resource consent for combustion emissions
- No combustion waste that requires disposal
- Highly responsive to changes in demand – rapid start-up times
- A given heating demand can be readily spilt into smaller distributed heating loads where appropriate.
- Can provide cooling, and utilise heat recovery from cooling (eg for pool heating).
About
Decarbonised Energy Solutions
We know that we have to reduce our carbon emissions. However, taking the traditional path is too inefficient. There’s too much pricing for risk in the consultant model. We’re taking a different approach.
By carefully defining a scope of works for the installation, and taking care of the commissioning, including post commissioning reporting, we achieve proven results at a remarkable cost.
We work with our customers to provide the most cost effective solution to Decarbonise their business.
Adrian Kerr is our Consulting Director. He has a 15 year track record in innovative water heating solutions. He began his work as a graduate researcher at Otago University with a focus on solar thermal and heatpump water heating system performance.
This led to a decade of work through Project Solar providing independent performance analysis of renewable energy systems. Much of this work was based on TRNSYS simulation modeling.
In 2012 Adrian’s began research into water heating technology that has lead to the Magnus product range of commercial heat-pumps and chillers, and the first to market range of commercial R32 inverter air-conditioning products across all categories.
In 2021 Adrian has begun working again as a consultant with a strong focus on decarbonisation of our buildings. Buildings are the low hanging fruit in our quest to move to a low carbon future, and the buildings of the future will need to be ever more efficient if we are to meet the 2050 goal of Zero Carbon.
Decarbonised Energy Solutions offers a consulting service focused on innovative, proven low carbon water and HVAC solutions.
