NEURA manufactures the most innovative heat pump systems and related intelligent control software. For over 30 years NEURA has been one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers on the heat pump market.
This visit was part of the Renewable Energy Research Trip to Austria that took place in November 2011.
What is a heat pump?
Basically speaking a heat pump moves the heat from the air, ground or water to inside the house, to use it for space heating and cooling, as well as water heating.
Air Source Heat Pump
Ground Source Heat Pump
There are different types of heat pumps depending on their source. The most popular are the air source and the ground source heat pumps (also called geothermal). There are also water source heat pumps.
Neura manufactures the 3 types of heat pumps. They also have a model that heats only the water and you can keep the existing heating system (ie. oil boiler) to provide space heating. This is particularly interesting if you are retrofitting an existing house.
Warm water heat pump
Peter Huemer showed us the production line. He said their ground source heat pumps are 20% more efficient than other brands because they use the direct evaporation principle. The coolant circulates directly in the surface collectors and absorbs the energy (direct evaporation). By doing so additional components such as heat exchanger and brine re-circulation pump are unnecessary, and the transfer of heat takes place almost without losses. This means increased operational reliability through fewer parts and an improvement in efficiency.
Neura ground source heat pump in the production line
Their Plug & Heat® system also speeds up installation with increased reliability. Neura developed a system that is easy to install, ready to use and factory tested. The components and controllers are easy to replace in case they need repair. It’s clear that they developed a system that aims to avoid problems at the installation phase, it’s three times faster to install and it’s easy.
Neura’s intelligent control software
One other fantastic feature that Neura pumps provide are the operating and control functions provided by their software. This allows access from anywhere in the world via the Internet or using a smart phone. It prepares statistical reports, calculates heating costs and optimises the operation of the heat pump. Apart from this, the thermal heat pump automatically reports problems or faults. In many cases normal operation of the thermal heat pump can be restored remotely.
Neura provides a very interesting heating cost calculator in their website. If you are considering this renewable source of energy you should try it.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) provides a range of publications covering all aspects of sustainable energy. Check out the following links for more information:
- Domestic Heat Pumps: A Consumer Guide
- Best Practice Guide: Heat Pump technologies
- All Renewables Publications
Read more about this Renewable Energy Research Trip to Austria here.
Isabel Barros
Isabel Barros Architects - Wexford is driven by a passion for creating high quality contemporary Architecture. Our goal is to make good design available to the general public while maintaining a strong focus on the energy efficiency and sustainability of our designs.
A graduate of Lusíada University in Lisbon, Portugal, Isabel is a Senior Architect with over 20 years experience. She is a registered member of both the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the Portuguese Association of Architects. Isabel is also Accredited in Conservation at Grade 3.
