Press Release Back Number(2005)

Heat-pump water-heated floor heating system using high-efficiency floor-heating panels developed and introduced
- Comfortable, energy-saving heat-pump water-heated floor heating system -

November 14, 2005
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. and Daikin Industries, Ltd. (President & COO: Yukiyoshi Okano; head office: Umeda-Center Building, 2-4-12, Nakazaki-Nishi, Kita-ku, Osaka) have jointly developed a heat-pump water-heated floor heating system using high-efficiency floor-heating panels.*1

*1 Floor-heating panels are installed beneath the floor to transfer heat from a floor heater to the floor boards above. High-efficiency floor-heating panels transmit at least 90% of the heat from the lower surface of the floor to the upper surface (conventional models transfer some 60-80% of the heat).

The newly developed product will add two models specifically designed for use with high-efficiency floor-heating panels to "HOTTOKUURU" (Hot and Cool) water-heated floor heater and air-conditioning system lineups (also developed jointly by Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. and Daikin Industries) and the Hot Eco Floor floor-heating system. The new models will be introduced by Daikin Industries on December 20.

High-efficiency floor-heating panels transfer heat efficiently to the floor boards above, heating floor surfaces rapidly and providing high floor-surface temperatures, even with relatively low water temperatures. Combining floor heater panels with high-efficiency heat-pump technology creates a floor heater that provides superior performance and dramatically lower energy consumption and operating costs.

Since a heat pump uses heat drawn from air, the external heat converter is vulnerable to frost in winter. Existing floor-heater panels use the heat provided by hot water circulating through panels to defrost the converter, which cools the water and temporarily cools floor surfaces.

By increasing heat-pump compressor output and using bypass circuitry to ensure that the reduced-temperature hot water used for defrosting does not circulate back into the floor-heater panels, this product eliminates fluctuations in floor board temperatures for superior comfort.

1. Primary advantages of the new product:

2. Product lineup

This heat-pump water-heated floor heating system is expected to help promote full home electrification by providing comfortable, cost-effective floor heating exceeding the performance of existing products.