PROJECT
47
the decision was made to help out, it was decided
that a large electricity-saving heat pump was to be
installed, which according to Stiebel Eltron manager
of technical sales Nico Jooste, saves as much as 60
to 80% of the typical water heating bill, depending
on variable environmental conditions.
“We didn’t want to put in a conventional geyser as
it would consume a lot of electricity, and we did
all the piping to the bath house and shower head,”
says Crisafulli. All this was done to the background
of barking by German Shepherds, Collies and
Labradors. The installer has a significant influence
on performance. A heat pump is only as good as its
installation: Pipe distances must be kept as short as
possible; and the pipework needs a proper insulation
to avoid energy losses. All this influences
the performance of a heat pump and the
efficiency you can get out of the system.
The efficiency of a heat pump is similarly
determined by climatic issues and its
positioning. Ambient air temperatures affect the
coefficient of performance (COP) of the unit, says
Jooste. “The higher the air temperature, the better
the performance will be.”
With a heat pump, two important factors must be
considered: the input- and the output-parameters.
The input parameter consists, for example, of the
ambient conditions that the system has to operate
within, such as temperature and humidity, which have
a great impact on performance. The output parameter
describes the requirements of the specific project,
like the amount of domestic hot water required. In this
October 2019 Volume 25 I Number 8
From left: installers Mabuyi Hadebe, and
Allie Aubrey Maluleka; Frank Crisafulli; Dana
Altmiks; and Nico Jooste. Front: Inspector
Adrian du Plessis of the SAPS K-9 unit, and
Senior Superintendent in charge of the K-9
unit, equestrian and specials ops, Nadine
Bezuidenhout.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za