Hydronic Radiant Cooling: Energy-Efficient Protection Against the Heat

According to current forecasts, Europe is in for another sweltering summer. The installation company Hermann Rosenberger is fully aware of the recent temperature increases and how to mitigate their consequences to the customers. Together with Pipelife Austria, the company designed and implemented a sustainable cooling solution for a single-family house in Styria. The system relies on hydronic radiant cooling panels from Pipelife's range. 

_{Sustainable Cooling Solutions: More in Demand Than Ever} 

During the 20^th century, the average annual temperatures in Austria have risen by 1.8 °C. Hotter and drier summers with daily temperatures above 30 °C have become as much as twice more common in recent years. Increasing heatwaves make it crucial to include efficient, sustainable cooling solutions in current construction projects to protect their future residents from weather extremes.

This strategy does not involve only large-scale residential or commercial sites — sustainable cooling solutions are crucial for buildings of any size. Recently, the installation company Hermann Rosenberger GmbH from Sinabelkirchen worked with Pipelife to design an energy-efficient cooling solution for a single-family house in Styria. Using radiant cooling panels built into a suspended ceiling, the family's large-scale living and dining area is now efficiently cooled during the hotter months.

_{More Customization Options for the Client}

The hydronic radiant panels from the Pipelife range  were used for the project in Styria. Each panel consists of pipe registers fixed to an energy-conducting sheet made of galvanized steel. Such panels can be used for heating and/or cooling in almost any room that allows for the installation of a suspended ceiling.

For the single-family house project in Styria, an additional client request fostered the choice of a ceiling cooling system. High-quality recessed spotlights and track lights were to be installed in the ceiling of the living and dining area. In such cases, Pipelife's heating/cooling panels are particularly suitable — since panels are available in a wide range of lengths, they can be easily combined with other ceiling installations as required.

_{Planning Support and Long-Term Cooperation} 

The planning of the cooling system was carried out by Pipelife Austria’s Engineer Günter Lutterschmied who worked closely together with the field service representative Christian Gutmann and the client Hermann Rosenberger GmbH. Both businesses have successfully cooperated in other construction projects before, which is greatly appreciated by Herman Rosenberger, the managing director of the installation company.

"Pipelife's planning support is particularly useful for us; we are always happy to rely on it in our joint projects. In addition, the good personal contact with our staff allows finding solutions for even the most challenging cases," Rosenberger explains.

_{Comfortable Indoor Environment With Ceiling Cooling}

In total, 25 ceiling cooling panels with lengths of 1.5 and 2 meters were used for the living and dining area of the single-family house. Thanks to the radiation principle, such panels provide even cooling on hot days without creating any unpleasant drafts.

The ceiling cooling system was completed by a stainless-steel manifold with seven outlets and complementary fittings. The panels were connected to the manifold with pre-insulated multilayer composite pipes in the dimensions of 20 x 2 mm. Using pre-insulated pipes for such projects allows for avoiding energy losses and even further increases the efficiency of the system.

All products were delivered directly to the construction site via Pipelife's Graz branch, and Hermann Rosenberger GmbH carried out the ceiling system installation in March 2023.

_{Hydronic Heating and Cooling Panels With Many Applications}

Pipelife's heating and cooling panels are suitable for buildings of all types: from offices and residential buildings to healthcare facilities and public institutions.

Thanks to their large surface area, such systems provide uniform temperature control without unpleasant drafts or cold spots — a major advantage over forced-air alternatives, such as air conditioners. Furthermore, hydronic heating and cooling systems operate in low-temperature range, offering excellent energy efficiency, and can be easily combined with alternative energy sources such as ground source heat pumps.