A system for supplying hot water to a floor of a building having a plurality of floors is disclosed. The system includes a hot water vessel operable to supply hot water for use in the floor of the building, the hot water vessel having an inlet for receiving cold water and a heating coil for transferring heat to water within the hot water vessel. The system also includes a heat exchanger having an outlet in liquid communication with the inlet of the hot water vessel, the heat exchanger being operable to collect stagnant heat within the floor and to preheat cold water flowing through the heat exchanger for delivery to the inlet of the hot water vessel. A hot water supply system for a plurality of apartments in a multi-story building having at least one exterior solar-facing wall exposed to solar radiation and a fire sprinkler supply system for a building are also disclosed.

A heating system used in a building includes thermostatic radiator valves, each fluidly connected between at least one radiator in a zone of the building and a boiler. A controller is operatively connected to the valves to deactivate the valve positioners when the controller determines that valve activity is likely to have little to no effect on the output of the respective radiator and/or active heating of the building is not desired. For example, the controller determines when the boiler is deactivated and sends a deactivation control signal to the valves operative to prevent the valve positioners are prevented from adjusting the respective valve position. In another example, the controller sends the deactivation control signals to the valves at the onset of preprogrammed low usage periods of the heating system. Methods of using such heating systems are also disclosed.

A heating system used in a building includes thermostatic radiator valves, each fluidly connected between at least one radiator in a zone of the building and a boiler. A controller is operatively connected to the valves to deactivate the valve positioners when the controller determines that valve activity is likely to have little to no effect on the output of the respective radiator and/or active heating of the building is not desired. For example, the controller determines when the boiler is deactivated and sends a deactivation control signal to the valves operative to prevent the valve positioners are prevented from adjusting the respective valve position. In another example, the controller sends the deactivation control signals to the valves at the onset of preprogrammed low usage periods of the heating system. Methods of using such heating systems are also disclosed.

Control process of a thermal plant including a distribution circuit for a carrier fluid having a delivery line and a return line, a central thermal treatment group placed on the circuit, and channels, each of which is hydraulically interposed between the delivery line and the return line to serve respective environments. For each of the channels, the plant includes a respective exchange unit, a flow regulator to regulate a flow rate of carrier fluid through in the respective channel, an ambient temperature detector, a temperature detector of the carrier fluid for detecting a delivery temperature of the carrier fluid in each channel, and a return temperature of the carrier fluid in each channel. The process also includes a thermal optimization procedure as a function of ambient temperature, delivery temperature and return temperature of the carrier fluid.

A highly versatile control system which is able to control devices in a linked manner is provided.

The control system is configured to condition air of a single space 9, and includes: an air conditioner 2 and a floor heating apparatus 3 which cannot directly communicate with each other; a router 4 which is able to communicate with the air conditioner 2 and the floor heating apparatus 3 via communication lines 11 and 12; and a terminal device 5 which is connectable to the Internet 10 and is able to communicate with the router 4 via a communication line 13. The air conditioner 2 and the floor heating apparatus 3 are controlled in a linked manner by a control signal sent from the terminal device 5 via the router 4.

Disclosed is an expansion tank having an internal cavity separated by a flexible diaphragm to form an upper pressurized gas portion and a lower pressurized fluid portion, and an indicator positioned at an upper part of the expansion tank in communication with the contents of the upper pressurized gas portion. The indicator is configured so as to display a first color if the operating conditions are normal in the pressurized gas portion, and a second color if the amount of moisture detected in the pressurized gas portion greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. Further disclosed is a method for detecting whether there is an excessive amount of moisture in a pressurized gas portion of an expansion tank by allowing pressurized gas from the pressurized gas portion to come into contact with the indicator, and viewing the color displayed by the indicator. As such, the tank can be simply visually inspected to determine whether there is a potential failure in the tank.

A microcomputer-based controller has control outputs operably connected to a hydronic boiler of a building, a network connection for receiving weather forecast information from a meteorological server, and an input operably connected to an outside temperature transducer. The controller is configured to an appropriate set-point temperature for the boiler based on both the current outside temperature and a forecasted outdoor temperature from the meteorological server. Remote zone temperature sensors report zone temperatures to the controller, based on which further adjustment of the set point temperature are made if a notable number of zones all have temperatures notably shifted in a same direction from a normally expected zone temperature. The zone temperature sensors and controller are connected as nodes in a mesh network.

A microcomputer-based controller has control outputs operably connected to a hydronic boiler of a building, a network connection for receiving weather forecast information from a meteorological server, and an input operably connected to an outside temperature transducer. The controller is configured to an appropriate set-point temperature for the boiler based on both the current outside temperature and a forecasted outdoor temperature from the meteorological server. Remote zone temperature sensors report zone temperatures to the controller, based on which further adjustment of the set point temperature are made if a notable number of zones all have temperatures notably shifted in a same direction from a normally expected zone temperature. The zone temperature sensors and controller are connected as nodes in a mesh network.

A system for heating a structure uses a cavitation engine connected to a water supply, and to a discharge pipe, a condensate storage tank connected to the discharge pipe, the storage tank collecting condensate from the discharge pipe, and a pump connected to the condensate storage tank via a transfer pipe and being configured to pump the condensate out of the storage tank, and ether directly back into the cavitation engine for reuse or into a mixing tank for mixing with water from the water supply, and then back to the cavitation engine. The system creates a closed loop so that no water is wasted, and the energy generation is as efficient as possible.

A system for heating a structure uses a cavitation engine connected to a water supply, and to a discharge pipe, a condensate storage tank connected to the discharge pipe, the storage tank collecting condensate from the discharge pipe, and a pump connected to the condensate storage tank via a transfer pipe and being configured to pump the condensate out of the storage tank, and ether directly back into the cavitation engine for reuse or into a mixing tank for mixing with water from the water supply, and then back to the cavitation engine. The system creates a closed loop so that no water is wasted, and the energy generation is as efficient as possible.