Green technology expert and architect Lloyd Alter reviews SunPump, a product where refrigerant is pumped into solar panels on the roof, making it really efficient.
“The SunPump is one of those ‘why didn’t anyone think of this' ideas,” Alter writes. As the refrigerant is in the roof’s solar panels, the sun’s heat acts directly on the refrigerant. At the other end, the heat is extracted and used to heat water in a hot water tank.
“In a Passive House or other highly insulated home where one doesn't need much heat, the smallest SunPump could easily handle all the heat and hot water; they even have a special coil to stick on the Heat Recovery Ventilator,” he adds.
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