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jb99 · 12-21-16, 09:22 AM

Thanks for the recommendations. My plan is to build a 1500 sq.ft. 26x32 Timber Frame enclosed by SIPs. The site is flat and the style of the house will be a saltbox design with the long section of the roof facing north. The south side of the house (the colonial style elevation) will have a reasonable amount of windows but it will not be a huge "pure passive solar" amount of glazing. For a long time, I have been planning for a radiant floor system, but I am starting to think that the money required could be better spent implementing a continuous air barrier and perhaps using a Ductless Mini Split system with a modest soapstone or masonry heater for the super cold days. The site is in southeastern Idaho (high desert, cold winters). My goal is to avoid fossil fuels in my mechanical infrastructure. I might not install PV's initially, but I am orienting the structure so that it would work in the future. It's always hard to know if the Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps and the technology is going to work in this environment. I need to rework my heat calculations, but I am seeing 22,000 BTU/hr load on a design temp of -15 Degrees Fahrenheit.

It seems to me that the risk comes in by planning for a system when the structure needs to meet a tightness to have the system be successful. That's probably a lot of information for now... I have been in the radiant floor heat "echo chamber" for a while so I am just trying to come up to speed on who the big HP players are... And where they are going...

I just learned the difference between the RCC and the DMS heat pumps. That's a start I suppose.

What are the places online with the most current industry DMS Heat Pump information?

Thanks.

12-21-16, 09:22 AM	#3
jb99 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Boston Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for the recommendations. My plan is to build a 1500 sq.ft. 26x32 Timber Frame enclosed by SIPs. The site is flat and the style of the house will be a saltbox design with the long section of the roof facing north. The south side of the house (the colonial style elevation) will have a reasonable amount of windows but it will not be a huge "pure passive solar" amount of glazing. For a long time, I have been planning for a radiant floor system, but I am starting to think that the money required could be better spent implementing a continuous air barrier and perhaps using a Ductless Mini Split system with a modest soapstone or masonry heater for the super cold days. The site is in southeastern Idaho (high desert, cold winters). My goal is to avoid fossil fuels in my mechanical infrastructure. I might not install PV's initially, but I am orienting the structure so that it would work in the future. It's always hard to know if the Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps and the technology is going to work in this environment. I need to rework my heat calculations, but I am seeing 22,000 BTU/hr load on a design temp of -15 Degrees Fahrenheit. It seems to me that the risk comes in by planning for a system when the structure needs to meet a tightness to have the system be successful. That's probably a lot of information for now... I have been in the radiant floor heat "echo chamber" for a while so I am just trying to come up to speed on who the big HP players are... And where they are going... I just learned the difference between the RCC and the DMS heat pumps. That's a start I suppose. What are the places online with the most current industry DMS Heat Pump information? Thanks.