Solar HVAC Design

Holistic Approach to Solar Heating, Ventilation and Cooling

Take a holistic approach to the Solar Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) design of your new home or renovation. Hydrosol can assist with your HVAC and water heating solutions that maximise the use of your solar power. This may include ways to improve the thermal performance of your house, cost effectively.

Solar HVAC Design Considerations

There are many considerations in order to achieve the best outcome for your Solar HVAC Design including:

• Thermal performance of your house
• Amount of solar power you can produce
• Your preferences around heating and cooling methods
• Heat recovery ventilation
• Your budget 

For solar HVAC and water heating designs to work effectively with your solar power, your house needs to be energy efficient. Hydrosol recommends that you undertake an indicative thermal performance assessment (Star Rating) as soon as possible in the design process. The initial result may cause you to revise your building design.

Thermal Performance Advice

Seek advice on how best to achieve the minimum 6 Star thermal performance rating required. Here are some factors that will be considered in your thermal performance assessment:

• Location climate (whether your house is being designed mainly for heating or cooling)
• House orientation to the sun and prevailing wind
• Shading in winter and summer
• The internal mass of your house
• The amount and type of windows, frames and glazing
• Insulation of ceilings, walls and floors
• Thermal bridging
• Air tightness
• Ceiling fans

Solar HVAC System Components

Click on the following list for more information about the main solar HVAC system components:

• Thermal performance design
• Heat pump hydronic heating and cooling
• Air conditioning
• Heat recovery ventilation
• Heat pump water heating
• Heat pump pool/spa heating
• Solar power

Hydronic Heat Pumps and/or Air Conditioning

Consider whether a hydronic heat pump and/or air conditioning is better for your solar HVAC design.

If your house is well sealed, you may require heat recovery ventilation as well.

Hydronic heat pumps are a good option for southern or inland Australian locations with cool winters and low humidity. This is where heating is required more than cooling. Heat pumps can be powered by your solar power and run in reverse for hydronic cooling.

Air conditioning is a better option for northern Australian locations where cooling is needed more than heating and humidity is an issue. Air conditioners can also be powered by your solar power and run in reverse for hydronic cooling.

Click to read more: Which Air Conditioning System is Best for me?

A combination of heat pumps and air conditioners can make good sense, paticularly for two storey dwellings in southern locations.

Solar Power

Look at adding solar panels if your roof has unshaded sunlight and you can orient solar panels to the north, west or east.

Heat pumps are ideal with solar power because they typically deliver heating or cooling 4 or 5 times greater than their power they use.  Incorporate high internal building mass into your building design. This allows heating or cooling generated during the day using your solar power to be stored for release during the evening.

Your heat pumps and air conditioners can largely be run from your own solar power if you have good home design.

Click to read more: Managing Your Solar Power

Energy Recovery Ventilation

Explore adding heat recovery ventilation (HRV) if your home is designed to a high energy efficiency standard. New builds and renovations with Energy Rating of 6 or more are well insulated and well sealed. This makes a strong case for adding HRV ventilation to keep your home feeling fresh and airy without opening windows.

Click to read more: ERV or HRV Ventilation

Off-grid Homes

You need to consider more carefully your heating, cooling and water heating needs if you have an off-grid home. This is because heating, cooling and water heating represent about 70% of your home’s energy needs.

If you have plenty of wood available, then you may want to use that for heating. However, heat pumps can provide a reliable back up for wood heating. They will standby and automatically switch on to add to the heating load as required then switch off. Also, their reverse cooling ability provides very efficient and low cost cooling in summer, particularly if you run them with ceiling fans on.

Pool and Spa Heating

Consider a heat pump for heating your pool or spa. They do not take up roof space that could otherwise be used for solar panels. Also, they can extract heat from the air even when it’s cold, raining or dark. They are ideal for heating during shoulder seasons to extend your swimming season.

Click to read more: Astral Pool and Spa Heat Pumps

Your hydronic heat pump may be suitable for heating your pool or spa if your water volume is less than 30,000 litres. Your hydronic heat pump will need a suitable heat exchanger to separate the corrosive pool water from your hydronic heat pump.

Click to read more: Elecro Pool Heat Exchangers

If your pool is larger than 30,000 litres, then a dedicated pool heat pump will be more appropriate.

Solar HVAC Design Consultation

Our consultation process (below) starts by well understanding your needs before moving to a draft design. Then a final design and installation plan will be developed for your build. See our process map below.

Contact us to discuss your project, provide with some information about your project, your preferences and your building plans.

Create an instant indicative quote using our Quick Quote configurator. This will give you a ballpark idea of the cost of supply and installation of a high quality system. There are of course different approaches that can vary the pricing.