Retrofitting Hydronic Heating Systems: A Trane ENL Program Preview

Electrification of the Built Environment

The use of electrified heating solutions has moved to the forefront of hydronic heating design and appears daunting to many engineers, specifically in the retrofit market. Eighty percent of buildings that will be operational in 2050 have already been built¹, and the approaches to electrified heating systems vary from building to building. Today’s equipment options may not allow for drop-in boiler replacements, due to regulatory requirements.

This program will help you understand the impacts associated with using lower hot fluid temperatures to help improve overall plant efficiency. In addition, new system solutions will be discussed, including cascaded systems and the concept of fluid distribution based on area needs in two-pipe systems for simultaneous heating and cooling in different parts of a building.

What you’ll learn from this ENL

 This ENL features Applications Engineers Scott Delo, Sarah Hilden, and Systems Engineer Ronnie Moffitt. After viewing this program, you should be able to:

• Recognize and identify various system options available for electrified heating with modernized equipment.
• Understand how to retrofit a hydronic distribution system with fan coils by replacing boilers with heat pumps.
• Review case study performance of a multiple zone VAV system using 105°F hot water.
• Understand how cascaded heat pumps can fulfill increased hot water temperature requirements in existing buildings.
• Recognize when coil replacement is necessary in retrofitted systems.

_{¹ Source: https://worldgbc.org/article/advancing-net-zero-partners-activating-deep-collaboration/}

Viewing this ENL

A recording of this program is now available to view on-demand from the Trane Education Center.

IMPORTANT: During the program there is reference to the Distribution Area Director or "DAD," this has since been renamed and is now referred to as the Hydronic Branch Conductor or "Conductor."

More about Trane Engineers Newsletter LIVE (ENL) programs

Trane ENL is a series of video programs focused on the design and control of HVAC systems, industry issues (sustainability, decarbonization, indoor air quality, acoustics, etc.), or codes and standards. The content is technical and educational, but non-commercial. The target audience is HVAC system design engineers; however, some programs may also be of interest to others in the industry.

Previous programs are available to view on-demand, and free of charge, in the Trane Education Center. In many states, ENL programs meet the requirements for earning Professional Development Hours (PDHs) to help meet the continuing education requirements of your professional engineer license or other certification.