InstanteProducts » Home & Garden Improvements

Why Heat Pumps?

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:48:04 +0000

An Air to Water Heat Pump can provide the ideal energy efficient hot water system for either domestic household use, or for larger Commercial applications. In reality a Heat Pump provides slightly less energy savings when compared to a domestic solar water heater, but there are a number of other significant advantages associated with the use of an Air to Water Heat Pump.

One advantage of the Heat Pump is the aesthetic appearance that is gained by not having any solar panels or in some cases a storage tank as well on the roof of the building. In some cases roof structures have to be reinforced when they are required to support the weight of a domestic sized solar storage tank that can weigh in excess of 400 kg. The installation cost of an Air to Water Heat Pump is very simple compared to the installation cost of a solar water heater, and this significantly lower installation cost for the Heat Pumps should also be taken into consideration when assessing the overall installed cost of either product.

Another advantage of the Air to Water Heat Pump is the low energy draw from the electricity supply to operate the system, while at the same time producing an output of around 3 times more than the actual electrical input, when operated in average ambient temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius. In reality this is a saving in energy of approximately 75% when compared to traditional electric water heaters. In Regions where the average ambient temperature is higher than 20 degrees Celsius the actual energy savings can be higher due to the extra efficiency that is gained in these conditions. There is also no need for sunlight because an Air to Water Heat Pump gains its free energy from the ambient air. Contrary to popular belief, a solar water heater does requires back-up electrical energy to operate the booster element during periods of inclement weather, low radiation periods, and at night time when there is a need to supply hot water during those times. The annual back-up energy needed to ensure solar water heaters provide an uninterrupted supply of hot water regardless of weather conditions, or if hot water is needed during the evening period, is similar to what is expended annually for a Heat Pump to drive the evaporator fan and compressor when comparing similar volumes of hot water delivery. A domestic sized Heat Pump could, if required, operate from Photovoltaic (PV) solar cell system due to the low energy input needed compared to the actual output that is delivered in the form of hot water.

By Mel Peatey.

Look for my next post that explains the advantages of Heat Pumps in the larger Commercial installations.

Home Theatre Systems

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:05:30 +0000

Home theatre systems are no Longer the Sole Domain of the rich and affluent. The availability and affordability of home theatre equipment is becoming more within the reach of the average home owner every day.
To some, home theatre is simply a big television, but a home theatre is really a combination of video and audio components that achieves a theatre-like experience in your own home. Many people view home theatre systems as a luxury, however, there are many simple home theatre systems available today that are quite easy to set up. Home theatre is quickly growing as a desirable need, in suburbia these days and the results that you can achieve even with a modest budget are quite remarkable.
DVD players are a must have accessory in any home theatre system. You may prefer an all-in-one DVD home theatre system. This way, you don’t have to unplug your main DVD player from your current home theatre system. High definition DVD is growing in popularity, so it would be beneficial to find out whether it’s time to buy HD-DVD or whether you should wait for the next generation blu-ray units. All DVD players also play audio CDs, so you can have a single component do the work of two units.
Speakers are the heart and soul of any sound system. Any audiophile will admit that a good set of speakers is what makes or breaks a quality home theatre setup. Good speakers don’t have to cost a bundle either, though it can be easy to spend a lot on these items. Audio/Video Receiver Speakers give you the most flexibility and full range of sound for surround sound home theatre and music, as well as stereo audio.
Speakers vary a great deal in performance, as well as price. Good speakers and the components for a home-theatre system cost less than ever these days, so determine what you can affordably spend for speakers and then search out the best possible home theatre speaker collection that will fit your spending limits. Wireless surround speakers are also now available as well and they can save the hassle of running all of the wires through your home theatre room.

A simple home theatre system is easy to set up, making home theatre systems not just for audiophiles, and the rich and affluent anymore. The future of home theatre is going to be simplicity. These systems are becoming increasingly popular and are a great alternative in the comfort of your own home, to a night out at the cinema.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mel Peatey

The Importance of correctly sizing a Solar Hot Water System.

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:44:36 +0000

One main problem that is encountered, particularly with project design of solar hot water systems, is that the systems are generally under designed. This is sometimes done to give the end user the perception of a lower capital cost outlay, but in reality this practice can defeat the real purpose of using solar hot water systems. In these circumstances end users will still pay a relatively high capital cost when compared to the outlay for a traditional electric hot water system, for something that provides hardly any saving benefit, due to the fact that the electric boosters in the solar systems are providing the majority of the energy input. In reality it should be the other way around, where solar input should be the greater.

From a long term economics point of view, it is important to generate the maximum volume of hot water from each unit, but it is also important to achieve this, at the highest possible solar input, in order to minimise the amount of traditional electric back-up energy needed to operate the system effectively.

A typical good quality 300 Litre solar hot water system with two flat plate collector panels operating in a moderate to tropical climate, may produce (on average over a year) approximately 250 Litres of hot water every day from each 300 Litre system at 60 degrees Celsius, where the solar contribution (or solar input) of the system is around 80%. This means that approximately 80% of all of the energy needed (over the year) to constantly produce 250 Litres at 60 degrees Celsius from each 300 litre system every day, would come free from the sun, and the other 20% would come from the electric backup element. In terms of actual kWh of energy, this can be calculated mathematically as follows, assuming that the incoming temperature of the water is approximately 25°C and we want to increase the temperature to 60°C

kWh = Lt. of water x Temp. Rise x Specific Heat of Water ÷ 3600

= 250 x 35 x 4.186 ÷ 3600

Total = 10.17 kWh of energy for each 300 Lt. system per day.

Therefore, to produce 250 Litres of hot water per day (by electricity only) it would take 10.17 kWh. If the numbers of Solar hot water systems are calculated correctly, by dividing the total litres of hot water requirement by 250 Lt. then you could expect to save 80% of that energy annually. This would also give you sufficient storage capacity, and booster capacity to ensure constant hot water, even during any periods of prolonged inclement weather.

As a general rule of thumb, a Solar Contribution Factor (SCF) of between 80% to 85% is ideal for gaining the best economic benefits whilst ensuring that the system, or systems, do not “over perform” during periods of low usage and high radiation availability.

Over performance of the systems naturally causes overheating of the water in the storage tank. This can trigger a release of built-up over temperature hot water from the pressure and temperature relief valve, therefore leaving the systems with very little hot water to use, generally at a time when it is most needed. If this does occur, it usually happens at around the end of the day, and the storage tank can be left with very little (Solar generated) hot water for the evening period, and you are then back to using electric back-up. Therefore, correct calculation and sizing is critical for the most economical installation.

Mel Peatey

Getting Started in Home Landscaping

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:39:26 +0000

Whilst many people are happy to contemplate putting up a few shelves, building a cabinet or reticent in tackling home landscaping, the fact is however that home landscaping is not as difficult as it might at first appear. There are certain things that you need to keep in mind when you are deciding where things go, and how to achieve the overall look of the finished garden, but other than that, once you know what not to do, home landscaping is relatively easy – well if you don’t think about the physical work involved in making the design a reality. The first thing you need to know is the size of the garden. Take a notebook, pencil and tape measure into the garden. Draw a shape on the notebook that is roughly the same shape as your yard. Now measure every line around the parameter, include any outer curves, out-juts, etc. then measure any fixtures in the yard that remain. These could include brickwork walls, stone features, water features etc. Put a rough mark again on your notebook garden plan showing where they are located and their dimensions. If you have a garden shed or a greenhouse, measure these and place these shapes on your garden diagram showing where they are currently located.

The most important thing about home landscaping is getting to know your garden and getting the most exact size of each fixture and the outer boundary is a crucial part of that.
Next you need to observe where the areas of natural sunlight occur and where you have areas of shade which don’t get much sun. If you have a fixture that will move, take the shadow that it’s currently creating into consideration when ascertaining whether or not there’s good sunlight in that area. The amount of sunshine or shade in any area will help you to determine what you can plant in it. For example, although there are plants that will grow in shadow, many will not but you could consider that this could be a good place to put your garden shed or other similar feature. Once you have a good feel for the size of your garden and where the sunlight falls, then you’re ready to start the designing part of your home landscaping project. You have two options here and it depends how computer-literate you are which you are most comfortable using. The time honored method is to draw a to-scale sketch of your garden onto a sketch pad. Graph paper is especially good for this kind of scale work as it allows you to convert measurements to squares easily. The more high-tech idea would be to buy or borrow some landscape design software for your computer (make sure that it’s compatible with your computer’s operating system) and use this to first input the dimensions of your garden and then use the various features of the software to start and pad out your home landscaping ideas.

Submitted by Mel Peatey

CREATE Your Perfect Home and Garden!

admin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:27:08 +0000

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