SANCO2 Heat Pump Water Heaters were a paradigm shifter when Small Planet Supply began carrying them in 2017.  It seemed incredible that a water heater could achieve a COP of up to five while using a natural refrigerant with a GWP of less than one.  The ability of a SANCO2 heat pump to produce an abundance of hot water began to spark the imagination of homeowners, innovators, and mechanical system designers alike.  This blog post highlights three ways to utilize a SANCO2 in projects of all sizes, from smallest to biggest.

SANCO2 Combi System: Hot Water & Heating using a SANCO2 System

The first adaptation is probably one that most Small Planet Supply customers are already familiar with.  The SANCO2 Combi System is an option for low energy homes that want to use their SANCO2 system for both hot water heating and hydronic space heating (using radiators).  Using the SANCO2 as a combi system is generally only able to be done when the heating load in a house is less than 10,000 BTU per hour.  For highly-efficient, airtight homes this can be a possibility and many these projects have already been installed and are running in the USA and Canada. 

Additional resources about using SANCO2 as a combi system:

Using SANCO2 HPWH for Hot Water & Space Heating
Unlocking the Combi: Lessons from the First North American SANCO2 Retrofit
Combi Confidential: SPS Engineer Peter Reppe Tells All about SANCO2 Consultations

If you’re interested in learning more about whether a SANCO2 system is a good choice for your home and project, you can schedule a complimentary consultation by clicking on the button below.

Harvest Thermal Battery System: Heating and Hot Water Using One System

Harvest Thermal Co-Founders Jane Melia and Pierre Delforge saw even more potential in the SANCO2 system.  They envisioned capturing the hot water capacity in a SANCO2 to serve as the foundation of a thermal battery system that would provide hot water and space heating for a home.  Because of the technology that is built into the Harvest Thermal Pod, customers can:

• Use the SANCO2 to heat water and provide heat using radiant flooring or a furnace ducting system (replacing a gas or electric furnace).

• Enjoy back up heating or air-conditioning when needed (through use of a second heat pump) controlled by one system.

• Take advantage of time-of-use rates in areas where these are mandated or optionally available.

• Be confident that the Harvest Pod will keep their system running for optimal efficiency and comfort.   The cloud-connected Pod knows how much to “charge” your tank accounting for the 24-hour weather forecast, the electric grid’s cost and emissions, the energy performance of your home, and your heating and water needs.

• Get reports about their system efficiency and monitoring by Harvest Thermal about the health and performance of their system.  A Harvest Thermal app is in the works that will give customers access to both monitor and make changes to the programming in their Harvest Thermal system.

The Harvest Thermal is an option for almost everyone but is especially appealing for homeowners with a load higher than a SANCO2 combi configuration can handle, who would like to get rid of their gas or electric furnace or are interested in adding cooling that is integrated into their home’s all-in-one system.

Small Planet Supply is excited to now be offering Harvest Thermal Systems and we want our customers to have the chance to know more about this product directly from Harvest Thermal Pierre Delforge and homeowner Karen Harrington, so we’re hosting a webinar on December 14.  You can register for the webinar by clicking on the button below.

Additional Resources about Harvest Thermal:

Homeowner Karen Harrington Shares Harvest Thermal Experience
Harvest Thermal: One System for Space Heating, Cooling and Hot Water
Harvest Thermal: Reaping Energy Savings while Helping the Planet
Harvest Thermal: Adding Intelligence to Hydronic Systems

WaterDrop Systems: A Drop-In, Plug and Play Central Plants for Hot Water for Multi-Family and Commercial Projects

With the high COP of SANCO2 heat pumps, it felt like a no-brainer to use these systems in a way that could harness the full power of these units in larger applications.  CO2 water heating research by American public electric utilities jointly funding research by engineering partners focused on successful building electrification validated the efficiency of using these systems.  Small Planet Supply, who had been working with many in the industry to provide on-site CDHWHP systems using SANCO2, stepped forward to fill a need expressed by the industry: drop-in, plug and play CO2 based CDHWP systems that could be quickly installed with a minimum of on-site construction time.  The result of their work is WaterDrop Systems.  WaterDrop Systems provides centralized DHWP systems in a variety of sizes to meet almost any new building or retrofit design.  WaterDrop Systems offer over other designs many benefits to multi-family and commercial building developers, including:

• Decreased need for specialized installers for DHW plant installation

• Reduction in onsite installation time

• Increased building design flexibility

• Performance proven confidence in the DHW system

The goal of WaterDrop systems is to make DHW plants easy to specify and install. Our Partnerships with public utilities and the Province of British Columbia have been instrumental in the successful development of our WaterDrop systems and increase confidence in our systems. Our experience and expertise make selecting WaterDrop systems for your project an easy choice.  WaterDrop systems are manufactured in Tumwater, Washington and Richmond, British Columbia.

Seeing is Believing: Training Video Addresses Need for Information

Moving away from gas boilers is a change for both building owners and their installation and maintenance teams.  Thanks to support from the Bonneville Power Administration, D + R International came to WaterDrop systems earlier this year to film the production.  The virtual tour provides a closer look at the production process and the WaterDrop team’s mission.  The project’s goal is to increase knowledge and receptivity of CDHWHP systems in the market with a result of increased adoption.

Additional Resources about WaterDrop:

WaterDrop Systems Website
Drop-In Central DHW Plant Systems for Multifamily or Commercial Projects
Using SANCO2 in Multi-Family Building to Get off Gas
Doing the Planet a Solid in Canada: Richmond BC Phase Change Project Update

Back to Basics: Just a SANCO2 Heat Pump Water Heater, Please

Just in case you patiently read to the end of this blog post and aren’t familiar with the SANCO2 heat pump water heater, we have lots of blog posts and other resources to get you up to speed on this water heating wonder. 

Additional Resources about SANCO2 Heat Pump Water Heaters:

SANCO2 High-Efficiency Heat Pump Water Heater: The Clear Path to Net Zero Energy
SANCO2’s New Cold Climate Heat Pump Water Heater
SANCO2 101: The Fundamentals of Game Changing Hot Water
SANCO2 Heat Pumps: A New Generation for the Electrification Era
If you shave questions or would like to talk to someone at Small Planet Supply about a SANCO2 system, you can call us at (855) 367-7442 or schedule a consultation using the button below.

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