varmeco presents innovation for the heat transition
„We turn unused energy into usable heat,“ says varmeco Managing Director Siegfried Schmölz, summarizing the function of the new „eXergiemaschine“. eXergiemaschine - it sounds like science fiction, but it is reality. The new device from the Kaufbeuren-based company optimizes heating systems in residential, industrial and commercial buildings by bringing heat to a better and more effective usable temperature level.
Kaufbeuren's second mayor Gerhard Bucher, city council member Oliver Schill and Peter Igel, responsible for business development, were able to see the effect of the world first from the Allgäu region for themselves at the varmeco customer day on October 9. For the demonstration, varmeco set up a system in the „eXm truck“, in which a heat storage tank, a water heater and the eXergiemaschine operate.
At the beginning of the demonstration, the water in the storage tank had the same temperature everywhere. „A condition like this occurs in a storage tank, for example, when hot water is circulating in a residential complex but no one has drawn hot water for a long time. Then the upper part of the cylinder is no longer hotter than the lower part because the temperature levels have mixed. The temperature is then too low for hot water preparation, but actually too high for reheating,“ says Schmölz.
A few minutes after starting the eXergiemaschine, visitors could feel the water cooling down in the lower part of the demonstration system's storage tank and getting hotter and hotter in the upper part. In this way, the small machine restores the ideal condition in the heat storage tank and the temperature is sufficient to provide water for showering or washing up. The varmeco managing director emphasizes that the whole thing works with significantly less energy input than a heating system. The eXergiemaschine has a leverage effect, so to speak: with one kilowatt hour of electricity, it generates around five kilowatt hours of heat.
Basically, the eXergiemaschine is a heat pump. But a special one, because it can generate significantly higher temperatures than other models in its performance class (up to 40 kilowatts). This unique selling point is not only a competitive advantage for varmeco and its Swiss technology partner BMS, but also a contribution to climate protection: the new machine allows heating energy to be saved or waste heat to be used sensibly, for example in bakeries or butcher's shops:
In food processing companies, cooling appliances are usually used which - like the back of a domestic refrigerator - release waste heat into the environment at a low temperature. This waste heat is usually too cool for heating and hot water preparation. But with the eXergiemaschine, it can be raised to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius and above in an energy-efficient way - perfect for heating up cleaning water, which businesses need in large quantities. The use of waste heat reduces the consumption of electricity, oil or natural gas and cuts operating costs in the process.
The eXergiemaschine could also accelerate the politically desired heat transition in residential construction by making it more attractive to replace oil and gas heating systems with climate-friendly heat pumps. Standard heat pumps for residential buildings usually only provide 45 to 50 degrees Celsius - enough for buildings with low-temperature heating, but too cold for hygienic hot water preparation or the operation of conventional radiators. The eXergiemaschine then serves as a „booster“ and provides the temperatures required for older radiators or for hygienic hot water preparation.
This already works for residential complexes. „However, our current eXergiemaschine is still too big for a detached or semi-detached house,“ says Schmölz. The development plan for next year therefore includes another model with a lower output. This would enable even more homeowners to become climate protectors and reduce their heating costs at the same time. With the eXergiemaschine, the company from Kaufbeuren is once again living up to its name, as „varmeco“ comes from the Esperanto language and is the word for heat.