The Altherma System

The Outdoor unit (Condensing unit)
The outdoor unit extracts free low temperature heat from the surrounding air and increases its temperature. Upgraded heat is then transmitted via the refrigerant circuit to the indoor hydro-box.

The Indoor unit (Hydro-Box)
The indoor hydro-box transfers the heat in the refrigerant to the water circulated in the central heating radiators, under-floor heating system and sanitary hot water tank. In the combined heating & cooling version of the indoor hydro-box cooling is achieved by reducing the water temperature to 4°C and circulating it through fan coil units. The system can also provide moderate cooling via the under-floor heating system or radiators by limiting the lowest water temperature. The preparation of sanitary hot water is performed by switching the system from cooling or heating to sanitary mode.

Hot water tank (optional)
A purpose built stainless steel water tank, constructed to maintain the highest levels of energy efficiency, is available to meet sanitary hot water needs. The combination of an electric booster heater in the upper part of the tank and a heat pump heat exchanger in the lower part ensures the lowest possible energy consumption with rapid water heating. In addition, a built in function raises the water temperature to 70°C or higher at least once a week to remove any possibility of legionella growth.

Solar Hot water attachment
The Altherma system can also incorporate a Solar panel system by means of a separate heat exchanger and pump, the system controls automatically hold off the heat pump when there is solar gain.