Multifunctional room climate systems

Heating, cooling and ventilation in a healthy and sustainable way, completely without air conditioning.

Pleasant radiant heat, economical energy consumption, and a healthy indoor climate: Demand for ceiling heating systems has increased in recent years. Now, a new generation is available – also for the renovation of older buildings – that can do much more: Multifunctional room climate systems heat, cool, and ventilate in a healthy and sustainable way – all without air conditioning.

Warm air rises, a basic physical principle. But modern heating systems turn this principle on its head. How is that possible?
Unlike conventional heating systems, which heat the room air and then circulate it throughout the room, radiant ceiling heating systems are based on the principle of heat exchange between warm and cold surfaces. The radiant heat from the ceiling spreads evenly horizontally and vertically throughout the room and is absorbed by cooler surfaces such as floors, walls, and furnishings. While radiators and underfloor heating systems primarily heat the room air, which then rises, cools down at the ceiling, walls, and windows, and flows back down to the floor, radiant heating systems emit their heat evenly into every corner of the room, transferring it directly to the floor, walls, and furniture. The air is therefore not directly heated and thus not circulated. Since no airflow is created, dust and mites remain on the floor, and the room air stays clean and healthy.

Comfortable indoor climate

The human body perceives even radiant heat as very pleasant, because rooms with warm surfaces and fresh air are more comfortable than rooms with cold surfaces and dusty, dry air from heating systems. Since the air is not directly heated, the room temperature feels warmer than it actually is. Therefore, it can be 2 to 3 °C lower than with a conventional heating system. (1 °C less heating reduces energy consumption by about 6 percent). Due to the low flow temperature of approximately 28 to 35 °C, the radiant ceiling is very well suited for use with alternative energy sources, but conventional heating systems also benefit from the low operating temperature. The profile system, available as a dry construction option, consists of a heated substructure that can be easily mounted to the ceiling. This utilizes the entire ceiling surface while reducing the room height only slightly, by about 3 to 4 cm. Unsightly radiators are eliminated, simplifying room design.

The room climate ceiling also more than holds its own in comparison with underfloor heating: With a response time of around five minutes, the rooms warm up faster and the house dust stays on the floor.

Cooling without air conditioning

When cooling the room, the thermal storage capacity works in exactly the opposite way: The cold water, which in this case is circulated through the ceiling, cools the floor, walls and furniture evenly and absorbs the heat radiation from the room – thus saving on air conditioning.

The core of the system, developed and patented by the Innovation Association for Indoor Climate Systems (IGR), is a metal profile with a groove. The pipe registers for heating and cooling are simply pressed into the groove and then covered with sheathing.

The radiant ceiling panel system is available for both solid and drywall construction. It can also be easily installed in older buildings. The heated profile system is custom-cut, allowing it to adapt to complex floor plans and sloping ceilings. It is also suitable for special architectural requirements such as attic conversions and suspended ceilings, and can be installed quickly.

Controlled residential ventilation can also be integrated: for this purpose, ventilation pipes are installed in the hollow channels of the radiant ceiling. The audio version, with its integrated acoustic elements, ensures pleasant room acoustics.