PAUL Per­for­mance achie­ves TÜV Rhein­land Cer­ti­fi­ca­ti­on for hy­dro­nic ba­lan­cing

TÜV Rheinland recently certified PAUL Performance, recognizing the control system as a viable alternative for adaptive hydronic balancing. This endorsement affirms PAUL Performance meets or surpasses benchmarks set by methods A and B of the VdZ (German Trade Association for Buildings and Energy) in hydronic balancing. Notably, the PAUL Performance control system is considered an equivalent method under the German Energy Act (GEG), a testament to its efficiency and innovation.

In this interview, Timo Jäger, Head of Technical Engineering, who accompanied the certification process, explains the importance of hydronic balancing in buildings and why PAUL Performance is a significant breakthrough.

PAUL Tech offers a new solution for optimizing building energy efficiency to minimize CO₂ emissions. Why the focus on hydronic balancing?

The building sector is a significant consumer of energy and producer of the associated CO₂ emissions. Central to this issue is the energy required for heating and hot water. Inefficiencies in this area are often caused by problems, such as oversized, defective or poorly maintained boilers, hot water storage tanks and pumps. An additional challenge is inadequate hydraulic balancing of the system or subsystem. When not correctly executed, this can result in less-than-ideal heat distribution, which has several adverse effects: it increases overall energy consumption, causes inconsistent heating across different rooms and places an extra burden on heating components. These issues lead to energy wastage and can diminish the longevity of heating systems, creating unnecessary costs. By addressing and refining these aspects, we can significantly lower CO₂ emissions and enhance energy efficiency in the building sector.

What is hydronic balancing, and why does it need to be carried out?

The VdZ describes hydronic balancing as ‘adjusting the volume flows in various subsystems to align with the planned target volume flows.’ Essentially, this process ensures the precise distribution of water and energy, to every part of the system, ensuring that the correct volume is available at each location whenever needed.

As water flows through a pipe system, it encounters resistance and subsequent pressure loss, primarily due to friction on the pipe walls and various fittings within the pipe installation. The distance a consumer is from the heat source or pump plays a significant role; the greater the distance, the higher the resistance created by the existing pipe network. In an unbalanced system, water naturally follows the path of least resistance, leading to the most distant consumers receiving an inadequate heating water supply.

In the unregulated state, water distribution follows the hydraulic principle where the largest water volume flows through the shortest heating pipes offering the least resistance. The longest pipes receive the least water. In such systems, consumers with hydraulically favored rising pipes experience an oversupply due to high differential pressure. This causes the water to move too rapidly across the heat exchange surface, impeding efficient heat transfer to the surrounding air. Consequently, the return temperature in these favorably situated lines is significantly high, often showing a temperature difference of less than 10 Kelvin and sometimes even below 5 Kelvin. This high differential pressure can also lead to noticeable flow noise at the radiator valves due to the high velocities.

Conversely, hydraulically disadvantageous pipes are undersupplied because of pressure loss in the pipes, which prevents the necessary water flow. This results in insufficient volume flow, and individual consumers receive a poor heating performance.

Why is PAUL Performance the best solution for carrying out hydronic balancing?

Our unique blend of custom-built IoT-capable hardware and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) ensures that the heating and hot water system operates within an optimal and highly efficient range. The heating network continuously adjusts to match the real-time needs of users. PAUL consistently provides adaptive hydronic balancing, digitizes heat distribution within the building and substantially lowers energy consumption. PAUL detects and rectifies imbalances in the system, thereby tackling energy efficiency problems. PAUL has proven its capability to sustain the performance expectations of the system and its subcomponents, enhancing the energy efficiency of the heating process. This leads to optimized energy efficiency, resulting in significant savings in energy, emissions and costs.

Many customers require proof that they have carried out hydronic balancing in accordance with the VdZ. Can PAUL provide such proof? Yes, PAUL can provide such proof. Our control method is TÜV-certified and recognized as being at least equivalent to hydronic balancing according to methods A and B of the VdZ. The PAUL Performance regulation is therefore regarded as an equivalent procedure in accordance with GEG § 60c (3). Additionally, as an authorized specialist company, we can confirm this with a signature from our experts.

Timo Jäger has been at PAUL Tech AG since 2021 and is Head of Technical Engineering. He completed his studies in Bingen and Mainz, specializing in supply engineering and technical building management. Before joining PAUL, he held positions at LUWOGE Consult and BALCK+Partner. Timo on LinkedIn