(the review is the subjective opinion of the author)
Well, it happened - the ISH 2021 Digital exhibition. Much can be said about the inferiority of such an online event, about the absence of many players in the heating market and other shortcomings of the digital format, but what the organizers have done in such a short period of time deserves respect. Creating such a multi-level exhibition portal, providing the possibility of communication by various means, holding several video presentations and live broadcasts at the same time is an extremely difficult task, which the exhibition management coped with very well. And of course, the virtual 3D exhibition stands, which were created by individual participants, are admirable. A significant plus, of course, is the opportunity to view almost all presentations and discussions, as they were available for another week in the recording, even after the exhibition ended.
As expected, the pandemic has made adjustments to the list of participants, the number of new products and innovative solutions. But, even under such conditions, many novelties were presented and many interesting discussions took place. ISH always sets certain trends and directions in which the European heating and plumbing markets will develop in the coming years. These new technologies and development prospects are not always relevant for Ukraine, but a certain influence on our market is still taking place.
Technologies of hydrogen use attracted special attention. It can be said that hydrogen became one of the main trends of the exhibition, along with heat pump technology. And if in previous years hydrogen was positioned, first of all, as a source of energy for fuel cells, then this year - manufacturers offered to use the hydrogen mixture as fuel for the operation of condensing boilers adapted for its combustion.
The use of hydrogen in the market of Germany and Europe as a whole has a number of important prerequisites:
The main ideologist for the use of hydrogen was the company Viessmann, which is not surprising, given that Maximilian Wiessmann is a member of the National Hydrogen Council of the German government. Viessmann presented an updated line of gas boilers marked H2 ready, which this year will be able to use a 20% mixture of hydrogen and gas as fuel. And from 2025, all new boilers of the company will be able to work on 100% water. In particular, the updated VITODENS 1XX series, which received an Internet connection thanks to the built-in WiFi interface and the ViCare application.
Another Viessmann product that uses hydrogen is the updated installations with Vitovalor PA2 and Vitovalor PT2 fuel cells. The main difference between the new fuel cells is the increase in the service life of the new fuel cell up to 85,000 hours of operation. This is 5,000 hours more than the previous model, which equates to a service life of about 15 years.
Also, a new generation of air/water heat pumps of the Vitocal 25x-A, Vitocal 15x-A and Vitocal 2xx-S series was presented. First of all, the design of external units of air heat pumps has undergone changes. Among the technical features, the Vitocal 25x-A and Vitocal 15x-A series use refrigerant R290 (propane with ultra-low GWP 3), the Vitocal 2xx-S uses refrigerant R32 (GWP 675). Heat pumps Vitocal 25x-A and Vitocal 15x-A are positioned as devices for the modernization of existing buildings, thanks to the declared supply temperature of up to 70oC, at an external temperature of -15oC.
BDR Thermea Group, which was represented at the exhibition by 3D virtual stands of its brands - Remeha, Baxi, De Dietrich, Brötje - plans to become another major player in the hydrogen technology market. First of all, this is the merit of BDR Thermea Group engineers, who developed the world's first hydrogen condensing boiler. Since the summer of 2019, a pilot project has been launched in the town of Rosenburg, near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Environmentally clean hydrogen generated from wind and solar energy is delivered to consumers through an existing gas pipeline. The study is also designed to confirm that existing gas networks are suitable for transporting hydrogen.BDR Thermea Group has big plans to use hydrogen in its products. And thanks to the presence in many European markets of strong local brands such as Remeha in the Netherlands, De Dietrich in France or Baxi in the UK, it has a chance to receive a significant part of this amount of modernization. In England alone, 28 million residential buildings will be subject to the reconstruction of heat supply systems.
All new BDR Thermea Group condensing boilers will be able to use a 20% hydrogen-gas mixture for their work. And boilers of the Remeha Hydra series can already use 100% hydrogen as fuel. Among the group's products, the eLecta 300 installation of the Remeha company stood out, which is a mini thermal power plant based on fuel cells (production of electricity and heat). The system includes a 300-liter buffer tank and a flow-through hot water supply station. The company presented the operation of the eLecta 300 installation in the format of a live broadcast from a pilot project that has been ongoing for more than a year.
The Buderus company took the digital exhibition very seriously. A special exhibition pavilion was created from which broadcasts were conducted and new products were presented (https://fb.watch/4xL398hIXs/ )
As part of the exhibition, the company presented a number of new products, including the BlueGEN BG-15 micro power plant with fuel cell technology. Using gas as a raw material for hydrogen production, the device now generates 1.5 kW of electricity and 0.85 kW of heat. BlueGEN BG-15 is used in combination with gas condensing boilers or heat pumps.
In the context of this installation, it is important to understand that one of the key factors affecting the continuous development of green technologies in Germany is the possibility of obtaining additional funding or a grant for the purchase of innovative equipment. So, for example, Buderus declares that, thanks to national financing programs, when purchasing a BlueGEN installation, the customer is guaranteed to receive a total monetary compensation of 16,050 euros.
Another interesting novelty was the line of gas condensing boilers Logamax plus GB272, power from 50 to 150 kW, which replaced Logamax plus GB162. The boilers received a new Logamatic BC30 controller and software that meets the requirements of BEG - the German national funding program that will replace the existing KfW and BAFA in 2023. The new technical requirements for devices eligible for government financial assistance under the BEG require that the energy consumption and the amount of heat produced must be measured by the plant's controllers.
Thanks to cascading, you can get a boiler room with a capacity of up to 900 kW. The cascade solution is assembled in a short time, as the modular cascade frame can be assembled almost without tools. In the video shown during the presentation, 2 workers assembled a cascade of two boilers in 28 minutes - Sehr Gut:).
The new Logatherm WLW196i AR S+ air/water heat pumps and the Logatherm WSW196i(T) geothermal series were also presented. Features of geothermal heat pumps include the new Logamatic BC400 controller with color touch display and inverter technology.
The presentation of the updated ProScan service application was extremely interesting. If earlier, in order to find information about a spare part, you had to scan a barcode, now you only need to take a photo of the corresponding part. A special camera was used to achieve accurate recognition and error-free searching. The application contains a database of 3,500 spare parts, each of which took 5 minutes to photograph. During this time, the camera took 300 pictures of each spare part from different sides. Thus, the application contains more than 1 million photos.
If we talk about the heat pump market as a whole, this year's exhibition did not bring any special innovations or novelties. Dimplex, Nibe, Aplha Innotec, Remko, Elco, Heliotherm, Mitsubishi Electric, Stiebel Eltron and Daikin mostly presented equipment that is already known to the consumer. Among the novelties, we should note completely new models of heat pumps from Vaillant of the air/water type aroTHERM perform, with a capacity of 19 and 26 kW, as well as a new line of geothermal pumps geoTHERM perform, with a capacity of 25, 40, 78 kW. Also, a rather interesting novelty is a nice remote control for RBE+ heat pumps from Aplha Innotec.
Daikin held a presentation of the Life 3R project, the purpose of which is to create an effective system for the collection, correct recovery and reuse of F-gases ( freons ) , which are used in refrigeration units, air conditioning systems and heat pumps. In 2021, the pilot project of the Life 3R program continues in three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Geberit once again confirmed its status as an innovative leader. The company presented a completely new pipe system - FlowFit. The new fitting has a number of differences from existing systems on the market:
Presentation of the new pipe system:
Another interesting product from Geberit is the Geberit UP-Sigma concealed installation drain tank with an integrated hygienic drain. Such a solution significantly simplifies the installation of sanitary systems that ensure the hygiene of water supply.
In general, the issue of hygiene and safety of water supply systems was widely discussed during presentations and discussions. The great interest of the exhibition participants in this topic is primarily related to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of the lockdown, there are long interruptions in the use of water, especially in schools, kindergartens, and office premises, which causes stagnation of water in the system and leads to bacterial contamination. The exhibition also continued the discussion of other requirements for water quality.
A transition to even stricter rules and standards regarding water supply hygiene is planned. So, for example, the maximum limit of lead content should be halved and in the future it should be completely prohibited, and this applies not only to water, but also to materials that come into contact with it. That is, after the transition period, the use of traditional brass faucets, which in the absolute majority have a fairly high lead content, in water supply systems will be prohibited.
Kemper, an undisputed expert in the field of hygiene of water supply systems and the largest manufacturer of bronze fittings, presented an updated range of products and solutions for the safe operation of cold and hot water supply systems. As always, the company pays considerable attention to the fight against legionella in cold and hot water pipelines. Among the solutions from Kemper: a new line of sanitary drains of the KHS Hygiene Flush Box series, KHS CoolFlow protection against high temperatures of cold water, devices for connecting to the water supply system to prevent back-contamination of drinking water, leak monitoring systems (antiflood), balancing valves for hot water circulation systems and updated WESER series bronze valves ( more about Kemper products).
Hygienic drain systems are increasingly in demand and are becoming an important component of the water supply system. Such devices appear in the assortment of an increasing number of manufacturers. In addition to Kemper and Geberit, Uponor, Dallmer, Mepa and other manufacturers also presented their solutions in this field.Among the new products, I would also like to highlight several new products of the Oventrop company:
It was nice to meet, albeit online, old friends - Enetec and Pichler.
Enetec is the OEM products division of Eurotherm Spa, our partner in the field of surface heating/cooling systems. Ceiling panels, distribution manifolds, polymer pipes and a surface heating and cooling control system - these are the complex solutions we offer our customers. High-quality system elements from the same manufacturer guarantee reliable and efficient operation. Today, ceiling systems from Eurotherm are one of the best solutions available on the market. More about complex solutions for warm/cold ceilings and walls
Pihler - our partner in the field of ventilation systems presented its solutions at the exhibition:
More about solutions from Pichler
Air as food - more important than ever - this was the slogan of the ventilation section of the exhibition. Covid, in addition to the pandemic, caused a real boom in the ventilation market. Clean air has become the main trend in the industry's fight against the pandemic and its consequences. The importance of providing air of appropriate quality, temperature and humidity is also emphasized by the fact that the organizers of ISH decided to hold a specialized exhibition dedicated to indoor ventilation technologies from June 8 to 10 - Indoor-Air . Unfortunately, due to the closed borders of the European Union, Ukrainians are unlikely to be able to attend this event.
In addition to traditional ventilation brands, such as Pichler, Zehnder, Helios, Wolf, SystemAir, many new players are appearing on the domestic ventilation market. First of all, we are talking about companies that previously were mainly positioned as manufacturers of heating equipment: Stiebel Eltron, Viessmann, Bosch, Buderus, Kermi and others, which today offer ventilation systems as an important component of their complex solutions.
An interesting trend in the ventilation market was the appearance of a considerable number of decentralized installations aimed at classrooms, kindergartens, meeting rooms, fitness studios, conference halls and other premises with a constant presence of a significant number of people that are not equipped with central ventilation systems. Decentralized solutions, such as Helios KWL® Yoga or Viessmann's Vitovent 200-P, should improve the air quality situation in rooms not equipped with central ventilation systems. Optimum air exchange, air purification, energy saving and quiet operation are arguments in favor of using such ventilators.
Quite a lot of time, during expert discussions, was devoted to the relative humidity of the air in the middle of the premises, as an important comfort criterion and one of the determining factors in preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria. Humidity not lower than 40% is the main requirement, which was supported by all experts participating in the discussion. And most likely, such a requirement will become a mandatory norm.
Several brands should be noted in the Startups section. Among them are both well-known products and absolute newcomers:
Soon, we will introduce you to this innovative product in more detail. Follow our page on FB and news on the website sahara.com.ua
Despite the difficulties arising from the Covid pandemic, the ISH exhibition, even in digital format, showed that the industry is developing and has great prospects. On the other hand, the troubles caused by the spread of the virus lead to significant changes in the positive direction, strengthen the requirements for water and air hygiene, accelerate the development of technology and markets, create new solutions on the way to a sustainable economy, and ultimately - improve the quality of our lives.< /p>
So everything will be fine, take care.