WALTHAM, Mass. — Ilios Dynamics Inc., a subsidiary of Tecogen® Inc., has announced its new Ilios™ HEWH-500-AS Split System air-source natural gas-driven heat pump water heater. According to the company, the unit cuts water heating costs in half, reduces a facility’s carbon footprint, and does so with near-zero criteria pollutant emissions.

The new split system allows a significant portion of the machine to be installed inside the mechanical room (namely the engine, compressor, and condenser), placing these components out of the elements, minimizing installation costs, and increasing serviceability.

The Ilios HEWH-500-AS Split System consists of two pieces of equipment, the engine-driven heat pump portion which is contained in a small acoustic enclosure within the building mechanical space, and a remote air-source evaporator package which can be placed outside the mechanical room. The company said the remote evaporator has minimal service needs so it can be placed in areas more difficult to access such as a roof, or cantilevered on an exterior wall above a dumpster, or on the ground beside other existing mechanical equipment. The indoor component is packaged in a 3- x 5-foot enclosure to ease retrofitting into existing mechanical spaces. The outdoor component includes state-of-the-art noise reduction measures to ensure its fans operate quietly, which is important in urban environments.

One advantage of this arrangement is that the outdoor component is connected via refrigerant lines, therefore eliminating freeze protection issues in colder climates. All of the water being heated remains inside the conditioned space, eliminating the need for an isolation heat exchanger and additional pumps. This simplifies the installation and increases overall efficiency by being able to operate at a lower delivery temperature.

“This is our answer for urban areas in colder climates that have a significant need for hot water such as New York City, which we see as a major market for this product. In addition to the Northeast in the U.S. we see significant opportunity in the U.K. as well. A natural gas engine-driven heat pump operating as a water heater is the perfect match as all of the waste heat recovered from the engine can be purposefully used all of the time, allowing the system to reach its utmost efficiency. Our unique engine-driven approach combines the efficiency of the heat pump cycle with a low-cost and readily available fuel such as natural gas,” said Steve Lafaille, Ilios product manager.

The Ilios product line comes equipped with an emission-control system. The patented Tecogen Ultra™ system is said to reduce the criteria pollutants (in particular, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide compounds) to near zero, meeting the toughest standards in the country.

For more information, visit www.iliosdynamics.com.

Publication date: 3/2/2015

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