objective

As heating accounts for an average of sixty percent of Canadian residents’ yearly electricity bills, alternatives to grid-sourced power are increasingly sought after. Thermal storage provides an ecological approach to modern heating issues.

This design provides a modular, budget-friendly heating solution for autonomous housing. It supports diverse energy goals, aiming to complement existing systems. Ideally, it seamlessly integrates into home functions with minimal resident involvement.

Hybrid Adaptable Thermal Storage (HATS) for Homes alludes to this concept’s ability to retain heat and stabilize harsh temperatures. A variety of deliverables were executed to present this project as a whole.

This concept harnesses rainwater to store solar heat in centrally located columns and gradually releases it over several days to warm a home's interior. the HATS system operates autonomously, while providing residents with complete control over their electricity and heating without relying on a central power distribution center.

The entire home is oriented to expose the windows to maximal sunlight during winter, and minimal during summer.

how

system design

4 grouping of columns each have their unique purpose. The lightweight (lw) system is always full of water. It acts as the primary heating source, which is why it is located where the house has the longest sun exposure.

The heavyweight (hw) system regroups 3 subsections;
Floor heating (fh), for subfloor piping distribution.
Space heating (sh), for various rooms.
Running water (rw), for shower and sink.

The hw system remains empty until the lw system is heated. Once this occurs, the hw system can be filled.

As the house is laid out with a low sun exposure from left to right (see floor plan), the first columns to be filled are those with a high heating priority. The gradual filling of the columns creates a compound heating effect on the next column for quicker heating.

heavyweight system

branding & deliverables

For the client, a design manual not only presents a template they might use for personal construction, but also an estimate of electricity consumption, consequential solar panel installation costs, as well as total savings.

Branding was therefore necessary for a cohesive presentation of multiple topics. A link to the full manual is available here: issuu.com/keyzz

sources cited

Wilson, A. (1979). Thermal Storage Wall Design Manual. New Mexico Solar Energy Association. https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/ThermalStorageWallDesignManual.pdf

Sharaf, Firas. “The Impact of Thermal Mass on Building Energy Consumption: A Case Study in Al Mafraq City in Jordan.” Cogent Engineering, vol. 7, no. 1, 2020, p. 1804092. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2020.1804092

Kingcommunications. “FAQ - All about Radiant Floors Heating.” Ecosolaris, 27 Mar. 2023, https://ecosolaris.com/faq/

Bainbridge, D. A. (1981). A Water Wall Solar Design Manual [Thesis]. https://www.solaripedia.com/files/472.pdf

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Household Energy Consumption, by Type of Dwelling, Canada and Provinces.” Household Energy Consumption, by Type of Dwelling, Canada and Provinces, Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 2 May 2022, www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Hoes, P., and J.L.M. Hensen. “The Potential of Lightweight Low-Energy Houses with Hybrid Adaptable Thermal Storage: Comparing the Performance of Promising Concepts.” Energy and Buildings, vol. 110, Oct. 2015, pp. 79–93., doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.10.036.

Hoes, P. “Computational Performance Prediction of the Potential of Hybrid Adaptable Thermal Storage Concepts for Lightweight Low-Energy Houses.” Eindhoven University of Technology Research Portal, 18 Nov. 2015, research.tue.nl/en/publications/computational-performance-prediction-of-the-potential-of-hybrid-a.

piping cycle

The piping cycle functions in parallel to the temperature of the water inside the columns. Each column is assigned to a different section of the home and spans a maximum of 91.5 m (300 ft). Three [3] loops fulfill the heating requirements of the 150 m2 house.

These numbers are generated by an estimated temperature of 100°F (37.8°C). If the water walls aren’t capable of generating the same amount of heat as an electric source, the length of the tubes would vary, which is why a fourth pipe has been added to the system. This last pipe only serves for low-priority heating.