“WaterLoop Heat Pump for heating systems retrofit in existing buildings” is INNOVA’s retrofit project for heating systems in apartment buildings, which won the EHPA Award 2023. The prestigious international award was presented at the HPForum in Brussels and is organised by the European Heat Pump Association under the title ‘Advancing REPowerEU in HeatBeat: the Heat Pump Accelerator’ established to reward the most efficient, intelligent and sustainable heat pump projects from all over the world.
INNOVA with its project to upgrade heating systems in apartment buildings won the first prize in the “DecarBuilding” category dedicated to excellence in the use of heat pumps and projects focused on the decarbonisation of the residential and tertiary sectors through the implementation of heat pumps and other clean energy solutions.
WaterLoop Heat Pump is INNOVA’s brand new water-to-air heat pump terminal for the retrofit of existing buildings that exploits a technology that has existed in the tertiary and commercial sectors for more than 30 years, but has never been used in residential.
INNOVA’s WaterLoop Heat Pump water loop system – developed for existing buildings fuelled by fossil fuels and with high-temperature terminals where various technical obstacles hinder the use of heat pumps as a direct generation system – consists of a closed, two-pipe hydraulic circuit (existing system) maintained at neutral temperature (approx. 20-25 °C summer/winter) thanks to heat dissipation or thermal integration systems with, for example, a heat pump (first temperate jump) replacing the existing fossil generator. The circuit acts as a source for decentralised water/air heat pump terminals positioned in the rooms to be air-conditioned to replace the existing terminals for heating and cooling while maintaining the existing piping.
The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) comprises research institutes, universities, test laboratories, energy agencies and manufacturers of heat pumps and components, and its main objective is to promote awareness and successful deployment of heat pump technology in the European market for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
For INNOVA, Engineer Ilario Zanetti accepted the award, saying: “Winning the DecarBuilding Award with our Waterloop heat pump reinforces our company’s main mission: to grow through innovation.
