From innovative solar I n a typical Australian home, heating and cooling The product is called Ecoheat and, like most systems that cost almost accounts for more than 40 per cent of total energy great inventions, the premise is surprisingly simple. use. Poor insulation, large areas of single glazing, As the sun warms Ecoheat’s panels, a fan is nothing to run, to highly and poor orientation – which result in interiors thatactivated and distributes warm, fresh air throughout ecient building systems, become hot in summer and freezing in winter – can the home. today’s in-the-know further inflate these costs. To ventilate and cool the home in summer, the Today’s home buyers, increasingly mindful of system pumps a large volume (240 cubic m/hr) of builders are delivering both rising energy prices and the environmental cool night-time air inside. This flushes the hot air out heating and cooling impact of fossil fuels, are seeking ways to keep theirand effectively brings the interior down to a more homes comfortable through the changing seasons, comfortable temperature, so it starts from a lower solutions that don’t cost without it costing the earth. In direct response base the following day. the earth. to this market demand, we are seeing industry Another benefit of this cost-friendly solution, innovation focused on the development of new, according to early-adopter customers, is that ‘greener’ heating and cooling solutions such as Ecoheat really comes into its own during spring hydronic, geothermal and solar. and autumn, by intuitively maintaining optimum temperatures in these harder-to-gauge months. Solar, so good ‘Customers understand that it pays to heat your An increasingly common – and smart – approach home consistently,’ Ron Knight, founder of Ecoheat is to install roof-mounted PV panels to generate explains. ‘By simply harnessing the heating effects electricity and offset the energy used for heating of the sun, the system pumps fresh air at the right and cooling. However, a lesser-known but highly temperature into the building in winter, regardless of innovative concept makes it possible to channel whether the customer is at home or not.’ the sun’s heat and energy more directly to cool and The product also delivers an excellent return on warm any dwelling. investment, with nearly zero running costs following economical & eco-smart AS THE SUN WARMS ECOHEAT’S PANELS, A FAN IS ACTIVATED AND DISTRIBUTES WARM, FRESH AIR THROUGHOUT THE HOME Photo courtesy Ecoheat MAY 2018 HOUSING 81 EFFICIENT HEATING & COOLING • FEATURE PROMOTION