A heating and hot-water supply device includes a combustion means, a heat exchanger, a circulation passage, a circulation means, a bypass passage, a distribution means, a hot-water supply heat exchanger, a water supply passage, a hot-water supply passage, and a control means. The heat exchanger heats a heating heat-medium to a target heat medium temperature. The distribution means distributes the heating heat-medium to the circulation passage and the bypass passage. The control means is capable of adjusting a distribution ratio of the distribution means to be adaptable to a heating operation, a hot-water supply operation, and a simultaneous heating and hot-water supply operation. At the time of transition from the heating operation to the simultaneous heating and hot-water supply operation, in a case where the heating terminal for performing heating is a warm air heater, the control means raises the target heat medium temperature.

A water hygiene improving system and method are provided which may include and utilize one or more water hygiene improving devices which may be coupled to a building water supply network at any number of locations so that water passing through each water hygiene improving device is returned to the building water supply network. The water hygiene improving device may include one or more membrane filtration systems and optionally one or more bioreactors. The system and method include a new and innovative approach for surviving or improving water hygiene within the whole water supply network of new or existing buildings, for prevention of their contamination with Legionella or other pathogens, general limitation of biofilm growth and their negative effects on water hygiene, also at point of use (POU), and water distribution within new or existing buildings by limitation of incoming nutrients, bacteria and other microorganisms at point of entry (POE) of buildings or at other locations of the water supply network within the building.

Provided is a thermal management system. A compressor comprises a first flow channel for circulating a refrigerant and a second flow channel for circulating a cooling liquid, the first flow channel of the compressor being not in communication with the second flow channel of the compressor. The thermal management system can simultaneously execute a first refrigerating mechanism and a cooling mechanism, and can realize thermal management of both a vehicle compartment and a compressor; in the cooling mechanism, the cooling liquid flows through the second flow channel of the compressor, then waste heat of the compressor is brought to a third heat exchanger (14) by means of circulation flow of the cooling liquid, and heat is released into an atmospheric environment by means of the third heat exchanger (14), thereby reducing the temperature of the cooling liquid, and the compressor is cooled by means of circulation flow of the cooling liquid, such that the temperature of the refrigerant at an inlet of a compression assembly of the compressor is low, the concentration of the compressed refrigerant is high, such that the compression efficiency of the compressor can be increased, thereby increasing the working efficiency of the compressor.

A heating system of a building includes: a solar heater configured to receive sunlight and to at least one of absorb heat into a refrigerant and augment heat absorbed into the refrigerant; a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant that vaporized via absorption of heat; a first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the refrigerant to water; an expansion valve configured to reduce at least one of a temperature and a pressure of the refrigerant after the transfer of heat from the refrigerant to water; a second heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from water output from the first heat exchanger to air passing the second heat exchanger before flowing into the building; a pump configured to pump the water from the solar heater to the second heat exchanger; and a blower configured to blow air past the second heat exchanger and into the building.

Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

In some instances the invention is in part based on dynamically changing functional elements with variable properties, or effective properties, in terms of their electromagnetic radiative behavior and/or their thermal energy storage properties, or the spatial distribution of the stored thermal energy, which permits the application of methods and algorithms to control the overall thermal behavior of the entire structure in such a way that desired levels of inside temperature can be reached with reduced consumption of external energy (typically electricity, gas, oil, or coal).

In some instances no conventional heating of cooling is required at all, whereas in other instances the expenditure of external energy for conventional heating or cooling is reduced. In some instances the invention enables the reduction of the time to reach desired temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other predominantly enclosed spaces.

An aspect of some embodiments of the current invention relates to an integrated system for heat distribution among a plurality of users. In some embodiments, the system includes a separate automatic control of heat distribution to each user and/or separate billing to each user. For example, a system may supply hot fluid to a plurality of apartments in a building and/or in multiple buildings. Optionally, each apartment has separate remote controlled valves controlling flow of heated fluid to the apartment and/or a sensor sensing how much heat enters and leaves the apartment in the hot fluid. In some embodiments, a processor controls the valve and/or receives data from sensors. The processor optionally controls devices that generate and/or store and/or dissipate heat. Optionally the processor predicts energy availability, costs and needs controls valves and/or devices to provide for predicted and/or unexpected needs while reduce cost of the energy.

A water hygiene improving system and method are provided which may include and utilize one or more water hygiene improving devices which may be coupled to a building water supply network at any number of locations so that water passing through each water hygiene improving device is returned to the building water supply network. The water hygiene improving device may include one or more membrane filtration systems and optionally one or more bioreactors. The system and method include a new and innovative approach for surviving or improving water hygiene within the whole water supply network of new or existing buildings, for prevention of their contamination with legionella or other pathogens, general limitation of biofilm growth and their negative effects on water hygiene, also at point of use (POU), and water distribution within new or existing buildings by limitation of incoming nutrients, bacteria and other microorganisms at point of entry (POE) of buildings or at other locations of the water supply network within the building.

A hydronic panel and system for heating and/or cooling a room is disclosed. The hydronic panel includes a plurality of contiguous channels. A first chamber is located at a first end, preferably the upper end, of the panel and includes an inlet and communicates with a first subset of the channels. A second chamber is located at an opposite end of the panel and communicates with the first subset and also with a second subset of the channels. A third chamber is located at the first end of the panel, the third chamber communicates with the second subset of the channels and includes an outlet. In this configuration, heated or cooled water flows from the inlet into the first chamber, through the first subset of the channels, to the second chamber, through the second subset of the channels, into the third chamber and out the outlet. Consequently, the heated or cooled water can heat or cool the space. In addition to at least one hydronic panel, the system includes a source of heated and/or cooled water under sufficient pressure to cause the water to flow through the panel. The system also includes a controller to control one or both of the temperature of the water and the flow rate of the water through the panel.

A heat pump includes an electric motor driven by input electric power, a first compressor mechanically connected to the electric motor and compresses air, a first heat exchanger performing heat exchange between compressed air produced by the first compressor and water, and a first hot water outlet through which the water heated by heat exchange in the first heat exchanger is taken out. Thus, in the air refrigerant heat pump, it is possible to use only air and water to supply heating by applying part of compressed air energy storage technology to the heat pump.

A heat pump includes an electric motor driven by input electric power, a first compressor mechanically connected to the electric motor and compresses air, a first heat exchanger performing heat exchange between compressed air produced by the first compressor and water, and a first hot water outlet through which the water heated by heat exchange in the first heat exchanger is taken out. Thus, in the air refrigerant heat pump, it is possible to use only air and water to supply heating by applying part of compressed air energy storage technology to the heat pump.