The hot summer days are getting to you? Ventilation no longer does any good and the only way out seems to be a fan or a conventional air conditioner. You’re already dreading the draft and you’re afraid of catching a cold? You are not alone in this fear.
Many people complain about headaches, neck pain and colds that occur after the use of traditional air conditioners. In addition, it is rare to agree on a temperature that is comfortable for everyone. So conventional air conditioning is off the table.
What if I can tell you a healthy alternative that will make you forget those worries? Ceiling cooling systems belong to the group of surface cooling systems. In this case, the room is tempered through the ceiling. Due to the heat exchange between your body and the cool surfaces, you perceive the room as pleasantly tempered.
Over the past 20 years, we at egger have installed more than 3500 surface cooling systems – including numerous ceiling cooling systems. In this post, I’ll explain how a ceiling cooling system works and what advantages it has over conventional air conditioners.
How does the ceiling cooling work?
Surface cooling systems use cold water circulation to cool surfaces – in this case, the ceiling. Cold water is pumped into the serpentine, auger or parallel pipes. The ceiling cools down.
The rooms with cooled ceiling seem more pleasant for us in the summer. This is due to the process of so-called radiation exchange. In addition, convection (cold air sinks downwards) also plays a role.
We humans permanently radiate body heat. This works well when the surfaces surrounding us are slightly cooler. If they are too warm, we cannot release any body heat and we start to sweat – we feel hot.
Since the surrounding surfaces become colder due to the cooling of the ceiling, we can release body heat and feel the temperature as comfortable.
Want to see how a ceiling cooling system works? In our video we have explained the process again in detail:
The most pleasant thing about a ceiling cooling system is the big difference from a conventional air conditioner: a conventional air conditioner blows cold air into the room. This makes for drafts, stirred-up dust and dry mucous membranes.
A ceiling cooling system does not require circulating air, but cools via the aforementioned effect of radiation exchange. We find this doubly pleasant, and side effects of conventional room cooling such as colds and headaches and neck pain do not occur.
What water temperature should I choose for ceiling cooling?
In order for the ceiling cooling properly, the temperature of the water passing through the pipes should be 16-20 degrees Celsius. Note that you perceive temperature differently in each part of your body. With ceiling cooling, the cooling comes from above, that is, around your head.
The graphic below explains in more detail how surface cooling works:
Once you’ve found the right temperature for your ceiling cooling, you won’t break a sweat even on hot days. The naturally regulated climate creates cooling, which is pleasant for everyone.
Ceiling cooling reduces energy costs: how does it work?
Imagine if you could install a ceiling cooling system that would cost you hardly any energy to operate. Sounds like wishful thinking? No, if you use a piping system for cooling that is buried in the ground or your basement, there is virtually no energy cost. Let me explain this a little more:
In cellars or in the ground, even in summer, the temperature is about 15 degrees Celsius. You can use this for cooling your home. Lay a cooling surface in the garden, or underneath your house, or in the basement – that is, an additional pipe system. Both pipe systems are then connected to each other.
The cooler temperature in the basement also cools the water in its piping system. Now, when cooling is required upstairs in the living quarters, the cold water from the basement is pumped into the pipes of the living quarters and the warm water from the living qu arters is pumped into the pipe system of the basement.
This allows the warm water in the basement to be cooled down without using energy. When it gets warm again in the living rooms, the water exchange simply continues, since the water in the basement has cooled down again. You can perform this cycle as many times as you like. You practically have a free cooling system in the basement or under the house.
If you don ‘t have a cold basement available, you can still benefit from ceiling cooling. However, you will then need an electric heat pump as an energy source. Similar to a refrigerator, these can “generate cold” with electricity to cool the water in your indoor plumbing system.
These are the advantages over conventional air conditioning
- Good for health: when using a ceiling cooling system, no drafts are created and no dust is stirred up. The air and your mucous membranes do not dry out. This type of cooling is therefore also particularly suitable for allergy sufferers and asthmatics.
- Reduces your energy costs: if you cool the water through the basement or the ground, you have virtually no energy costs. If you use a heat pump, it requires very little energy. This way you can save costs and do something good for the environment.
- No noise: ceiling cooling systems are silent. That is, you can use it at night and sleep in peace.
- Ventilation possible: When using a ceiling cooling system, you can still ventilate at any time. As mentioned, ceiling cooling has little effect on the air. The energy is stored in the ceiling and not in the air, as in conventional air conditioning. Therefore, the energy loss in ceiling cooling during ventilation is minimal and after ventilation the cooling effect is immediately back.
You can learn even more about the benefits of ceiling cooling in our YouTube video, “Cooling Without Air Conditioning.”
Buying ceiling cooling: Here’s what you should look for in advance
If you want to get a ceiling cooling system right now, please ask yourself the following questions first:
- In which rooms should the ceiling cooling be used?
- How many square feet do you need ceiling cooling for?
- Are you installing the system in an old or new building?
- Do you take care of the installation or do you have a professional help you?
- Will the ceiling cooling system be drywall or wet system?
- Do you prefer active or passive cooling? (Heat pump vs. “natural” cold)
- How to lay the pipes for cooling the ceiling? Serial (serpentine or spiral) or parallel (Tichelmann system)?
The questions are intended to give you a rough overview of everything you need to consider before installation.
As a manufacturer of a parallel ceiling cooling system, we write you these lines with ulterior motives, of course. After all, we are convinced of our system: it is suitable for any type of building.
In the following paragraph we have also listed 4 advantages. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us and our team (you can find the phone number and e-mail address in the last paragraph).
egger System: The energy-saving system in all buildings
Advantage 1: egger ceiling cooling is suitable for any type of building: old buildings, new buildings, apartments, hotels, sales areas, production halls, workshops, etc.
Advantage 2: Thanks to the pipes laid in parallel, the room is evenly tempered. In addition, since the water is not first passed through the serpentine or spiral pipes across the ceiling and has a short run, it does not need to be cooled strongly. Energy costs are reduced as a result.
Advantage 3: Our ceiling cooling systems can also be used as ceiling heaters.
Advantage 4: Our system can be easily installed by yourself with the step-by-step instruction. So you don’t have to hire a professional if you prefer to do the installation yourself.
I would like to know more about egger wall cooling!
You want to learn more about our ceiling cooling system from egger Wohlfühl-Klima? Or do you want to know more about our products(floor cooling, wall cooling, surface cooling)?
No problem at all, we are here for you. We would be happy to take a closer look at your concerns during a free consultation. Just give us a call(+43 5223 411 68 11), write an email or get in touch via our contact form.
In our egger Wohlfühl-Klima Shop you can have a look at our products in advance.
Love greetings
Annette & Christian Egger
Wir sind Annette & Christian Egger. Hier im Blog erklären wir Ihnen, worauf es beim Wohlfühl-Klima ankommt. Wir behandeln hier Themen wie Energie-Sparen beim Heizen & Kühlen und zeigen Ihnen unsere interessantesten Projekte.