Accumulation of hot water is an inseparable part of an efficient heating system. The heat produced from a heat generator first should be accumulated in the buffer/accumulator tank and then distributed to the heat consumers.
The whole produced heat is going to be stored in the heat accumulator, where it is going to wait to be used by heat consumers. That’s why it is crucial the accumulator be highly energy-efficient, providing minimum heat loss, and saving on the energy bill of the final customer. But it is only one side of the savings. Accumulators that unify buffering and hydraulic separation functions are way too efficient in many aspects.
The accumulator, working as a heat buffer, is lowering the number of starts and stops of the heat generator, which means:
- lowering fuel consumption
- extending lifetime of the heat generator.
Hydraulic separators are separating heat generators’ circuit and heat consumer’s circuits. This means that the circulating pumps, of these two main circuits, are not opposing each other.
The accumulators that perform hydraulic separation are also lowering the pressure difference between hot and cold lines which means:
- fine regulation for each pump, without any disturbances
- extending lifetime of the circulating pumps.
In the end, heat accumulators are not the cheapest component of the heating system. Therefore the final customer must rely on the price-performance – warranty ratio. A bigger warranty period means low maintenance cost, comfort and less waste.