All newly installed heating systems should use 65% renewable energy in future – in many cases, the best solution is a hybrid system with a heat pump. However, not every property owner can retrofit these as quickly as they would like. That’s why BRÖTJE has developed Kit 65, an interface that makes new gas condensing boilers hybrid-capable simply, quickly and cost-effectively and prepares them for the integration of a heat pump.
“We want a heat pump to be installed in every home in Germany – but we need an interim solution for those homes that are not yet prepared for this technology,” summarises Christian Sieg, Managing Director of August Brötje GmbH. This is why Brötje is focussing on hybrid solutions: A hybrid system consisting of a heat pump and gas condensing boiler is currently the ideal solution for many existing houses. It is able to supply heat efficiently and in line with demand and offers long-term flexibility: if the heating load subsequently decreases as a result of energy-efficient refurbishment, the regenerative supply component, which is provided by the heat pump, for example, increases. Kit 65 can serve as a substitute for the regenerative component that is to be added to the heating system at a later date – for example, after bridging capital or supply bottlenecks.
The element is 175 mm deep and is installed behind a newly installed gas condensing boiler at the existing connection points. In addition to fitting the boiler, it only takes around 30 minutes. In accordance with current legislation, the gas boiler is therefore future-proof, as it can function as part of a hybrid system with the future prescribed proportion of 65 % renewable energy.
The retrofitted heat pump is operated via the display on the gas boiler. A switchover function makes it possible to optimise the operation of the hybrid system in terms of costs, CO2 emissions or efficiency. The heat generators run redundantly so that a high level of supply reliability is guaranteed. If the heat pump has to defrost in winter, the boiler takes over the function of the buffer storage tank. This makes it easy to save space for an additional buffer cylinder.
With the Kit 65, the subsequent connection of the heat pump and other hybrid system components is limited to a few simple steps, as the control and hydraulics are already available. The module is suitable for use with BRÖTJE gas condensing boilers from the WGB.1 series (WGB 14.1, WGB 22.1) and is expected to be available from the 4th quarter of 2023. In future, the Kit 65 can also be combined with other gas condensing boilers.
It is always advisable to carry out a simulation of the system operation during the planning stage. The manufacturer BRÖTJE offers a calculation tool for specialist installers that allows the components to be matched and a hybrid system to be planned – for a reliable, professional design. This provides the specialist installer with planning security and gives the system operator a forecast of energy consumption. Co-operation with the specialist trade is of crucial importance to August Brötje GmbH.
But the company’s own service is also a central component of the Brötje approach: “Innovations can be more successful on the market if they are accompanied by targeted service,” states Ronald Helms, who is responsible for customer service at Brötje. August Brötje GmbH clearly demonstrates its ambition to play an active role in shaping the heating revolution.
Featured Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash.