A Plug-and-Play Hydronic System that Captures VRF Waste Heat

Air-to-air variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat-pump systems use refrigerant to move energy throughout buildings and are extremely efficient, but the heat that is removed from the interior during cooling is often just released outdoors. What if we captured that waste heat to provide domestic hot water or additional space heating?

Heating water using waste heat from HVAC systems is not a new concept, but in the U.S. it has not been widely adopted in air-to-air heat pumps, perhaps because it can require a complicated, custom system that integrates refrigerant loops, heat exchangers, and controls. LG Electric’s Hydro Kit—winner of the 2020 AHR Innovation Award in the plumbing sector—is now available for residential and multi-family applications as well as commercial, providing a packaged system that captures energy from a VRF; provides hot or cold water without burning fossil fuels; and can potentially increase the overall efficiency of LG’s Multi V heat-pump systems.