USE OF RADIANT PANELS AS THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE: FEBOS-HP TECHNOLOGY AND THE APPLICATION OF AN ITALIAN CASE STUDY

The energy consumption of buildings, especially for heating, is at least 40% of the energy consumption of the entire European Union. The solutions for providing incentives for energy savings may relate to various aspects: thermal insulation, passive solar, renewable energy sources, the use of more efficient thermal systems. The Heat Pump, heavily promoted and subsidized by Directive 2009/28/EC and considered as renewable energy, is one of the most efficient solutions but only if used in such a way as to optimize its operation throughout the day and season. The Heat Pump must also be served by a high efficient thermal system such as a radiant panel system with dynamic activation (TABS).
This article describes the FEBOS-HP system, an advanced version of TABS that calls for the use of the radiant floor as a “thermal flywheel” (Thermal Energy Storage – TES). The system calls for control of the operation based on the temperature of the screed in order to ensure a uniform comfort level and a reduction in consumption. The results reported are from a real application with evaluation of the return on investment time.