Lennox Solar Assited HVAC, Green HVAC for Your Home
October 21, 2008 – 10:30 am
Heat Pump Diagram
Lennox Industries introduces a new integrated solar-assisted residential heating and cooling system.
Lennox Industries, a subsidiary of Lennox International, unveiled SunSource, the industry’s first integrated, solar-assisted, residential, HVAC system at the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) 4th Technology Symposium in Long Beach, California (USA). This green, smart home, system will be available for sale next year.
“Lennox is a recognized and respected innovator in the heating and cooling industry, and with the introduction of the Lennox SunSource we are furthering our commitment to innovation and energy efficiency,” said Doug Young, President and COO, LII Residential Heating & Cooling. Using a patent-pending technology developed specifically for use in residential applications, the Lennox SunSource can help reduce peak demand, increase energy efficiency, and maintain homeowner comfort.
The system works by using a 190 Watt solar panel to help provide electricity to power the Heat Pump’s fan, a major draw on energy. With this invention, HVAC systems have taken the next logical step in garnering energy from the environment to help heat and cool your house.
A traditional heat pump heating and cooling unit is a green and energy efficient alternative to older style furnaces. A heat pump uses a compressor, the first law of thermodynamics, and a fan to heat and cool your house. The first law of thermodynamics dictates that the total amount of energy in a system cannot be created or destroyed. It remains constant and can only change form. A heat pump in summer works by blowing the warm air inside your house across a chilled radiator. Consequently the freon in the radiator’s pipes are warmed as a result. This warmed freon is then pump outside the house where it is decompressed. This expanded freon takes up more space, but because of the first law of thermodynamics, it remains at a constant energy. Since the energy is constant but spread over a larger area, the temperature of the freon drops. This decompressed freon is then passed in front of a fan outside your house which cools the freon even further. Energy is literally pumped from the interior to the exterior of your house, thus the moniker, ‘heat pump’.
In winter the system works in reverse by compressing outside thermal energy, pumping the compressed energy into the house, then blowing cooler air across the compressed and consequently warmed pipes, to heat the air in your house.
Thus a heat pump essentially borrows energy from your environment to heat and cool your house. The only electricity used in the system is used to run the compressors and fans. The new Lennox SunSource system compliments this green and miserly behavior by borrowing solar energy from the sun to generate electricity to power the exterior fan. To match the expected gains in energy efficiency, a conventional outdoor residential air conditioning unit would have to almost double in size.
Integrating solar power into other components of a typical home comfort system — including indoor motors, compressors, indoor air quality products, and thermostats — is currently being evaluated, reveals the company’s press release. “The Lennox SunSource is another step towards the acceptance of single-point solar technology applications,” said Doug Young. “This unique application specifically targets reducing peak demand, while improving energy efficiency and maintaining comfort. Together with the electric industry and the support of our outstanding North American dealer network, we can begin to make a significant positive change in 2009.”
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