Danfoss says it has opened the world's first indoor climate test centre.
Today’s heating and climate systems in energy-efficient houses are so high-tech that adjusting the indoor climate can be a challenge for the owners.
Danfoss Heating Solutions is behind a new test centre in Vejle, Denmark, which is set to be the first to offer the climate control solutions of the future, the company said.
"Today, house-owners often equip their home with heat pumps, ventilation systems and underfloor heating. They are intended to make houses more energy-efficient, but in reality, the systems sometimes oppose each other,' according to Kim Christensen, president of Danfoss Heating Solutions.
"Therefore, new know-how is required and a new Danfoss test centre is set to examine the aggregate climate control systems installed in a house to make them all compatible with each other.
"The new test centre is a cornerstone because we can use it for testing and developing products which will accommodate the market’s current and future needs.
"Many houses are now so well-insulated that you can practically heat them using a hair dryer. So, the challenge is to ensure comfortable indoor climate in energy-efficient houses without the owners having to open the doors in order to compensate for the excess heat.
"Danfoss wants to be a world champion in climate control in houses by making all our products – and, eventually, also other products in the house – operate together in a single energy-efficient system."
The rooms in the test centre are surrounded by a cold room that is used by engineers to simulate various temperature conditions, and to test how products and climate control systems respond in the test rooms.
"This means that even on warm summer days, tests can be carried out under winter conditions at -20° Celcius," Christensen said.
"So far, Danfoss has had a laboratory for the testing of a single product at a time. The developers have either had to wait for their turn, or have tested new products in their private homes.
"Conducting tests in a private home is not always optimal, because we can never repeat the test under precisely the same weather conditions.
"This is possible at the test centre, which has the optimum framework to work with the optimization of the interaction between the technologies and create future efficient climate solutions for all kinds of buildings. "
Head of Danfoss and vice president of electric heating systems, Jacob Madsen, said the new facilities will ensure faster marketing of new solutions and products.
He said the test centre, which is located behind the Danfoss premises at Ulvehavevej in Vejle, Denmark, formally opened this week.
"The two-storey 162m² building consists of three test rooms with different floorings, such as wooden and tiled, as found in real houses," Madsen said.
"Well-insulated houses offer a good opportunity for utilizing electricity as a means to link different energy forms.
"Sustainable energy sources such as solar panels and heat pumps often generate power to be used directly to heat the house."
For more details and photos of the official opening visit Climate Control News on Facebook.
CCN's next Indoor Air Quality feature appears in the February edition of the magazine.