In the ēKOCOMFORT Program, ACT has been involved with a number of Canadian manufacturers in the development of integrated space/water/ventilating systems, based on gas-fired boiler-type systems coupled to fan coils, segregated tap water with or without external storage and heat recovery ventilation. With fireplaces remaining as an aesthetic necessity in North American homes, yet being the potential cause of a number of problems within the house environment, relating to indoor air quality, local under- or over-heating, drafts, etc., the authors see the next logical step in the integration concept is to utilize the fireplace as the centre of the energy generation needs of the house, rather than an outlier. The authors will demonstrate the technically feasibility of integrating space heating, water heating and heat recovery ventilation functions into a single fireplace appliance having a steady state thermal efficiency that exceeds 90%. The design options, considerations and progress with respect to the development of a laboratory prototype condensing gas-fired integrated space & water heating fireplace at will be presented.
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