COVER STORY
independently of it - one unit per apartment, decentralised, doing its own job. On compliance, Inova is fully EcoDesign tested, to EN14825 and EN16147. It will support Part L compliance without a PV requirement in most Irish apartments. Whole-building performance still depends on the individual dwelling, so the usual scheme-level checks apply but, for most apartments, the unit is designed to carry the renewable contribution on its own. For installers, the practical picture is straightforward. Commissioning is as simple as any monobloc heat pump. And because there is no outdoor unit, Inova suits off-site fabrication well, particularly 3D volumetric MMC. The unit can be installed up to second fix in a factory setting, shipped to site without the complication of an external unit and, once water and power are connected, it is ready to be commissioned. Eoghan Considine, Renewables Specification Manager at Pipelife Ireland, says, “We developed Inova in response to what Irish apartment schemes need - simple, compact, reliable heat pumps, with no outdoor units. Pipelife has extensive market experience in heating system design and
first looks. It gives the apartment designer real freedom on where the unit goes, rather than tying the layout to the position of an outside wall. Inova has a capacity of 3.2kW and can deliver water temperatures up to 75°C, covering both space heating and domestic hot water. The 3.2kW figure was specified to suit the heating and hot water needs of most new-build Irish apartments. Heat losses vary from building to building and apartment to apartment, depending on structure, insulation and air tightness, so sizing always comes back to the individual scheme, but the unit has been designed to satisfy the heating requirements of the majority of Irish apartments. There is also a ventilation advantage worth pointing out. Some alternative systems, such as exhaust air heat pumps, can lead to over ventilation and the over consumption of energy that comes with it if outdoor and indoor air are not mixed correctly. Inova uses only outdoor air, which removes that risk. It also means the unit does not need to be integrated with the ventilation system to work efficiently. The installer keeps flexibility on the ventilation specified, whether MEV or MVHR, and the heat pump runs
“In-built safety features are designed around indoor installation from the start, rather than adapted for it.” from that we could see where the issues existed and opportunity lay to bring a new type of heat pump to the Irish apartment market. That meant focusing on simplicity; a compact unit that utilises the latest F-Gas technology, is easy to install and has been designed with the specific constraints of apartment design in mind.” Inova is a new product from Pipelife Ireland, the latest from a company that has been part of the Irish building services sector for decades. For installers working on apartment schemes, it is worth knowing about now, ahead of the F-Gas changes that take effect from 2027.
T: +353 (0)21 488 4700 - E: Ireland@pipelife.com - www.pipelife.ie Want to know more?
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