You, Me & ISH

By Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr

Radiant Expert

My wife Ellen and I recently returned from a weeklong visit to Frankfurt, Germany, home of the Messe Frankfurt exhibition hall, which hosts the ISH show every 2 years. ISH is billed as the world's leading trade fair for bathrooms, building energy, air conditioning and renewable energy. And, you better believe that mission statement.

With more than 250 square meters of floor space -- the show is a massive Mecca for viewing the newest and most-innovative products in the industry. Even with a week to do so, visiting each booth was nearly impossible.

Ellen and I passed through several of the plumbing fixture halls, but spent most of our time in the heating and alternative energy halls.

The "big name booths" were quite a spectacle. Many attracted visitors with various entertainment tactics spanning from dancers and contortionists to mega wide-screen displays. The Viessman reminded me of the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy meets the Great Oz for the first time. Wow. 

I was surprised at the size of some of the companies I have worked with over the years. Certainly Viessmann and Buderus were leaders in sheer size and offerings. Baxi, Junkers and Wilo also had large booths. 

I was mainly seeking alternative energy manufactures and products. This year's show focused on those areas. Solar- and solid-fueled boilers, both wood and bio-mass were prevalent. Some attendees felt the solar presence had doubled from the previous show in 2005.

What surprised me most was the focus of many of the "big players" on heat pumps. The largest component, and most photographed, in the Buderus booth was the drill rig.

As a member of the press, I received a show magazine called, Top Fair. An article inside, titled, "All Eyes on Heat Pumps" caught my attention. The author, Karlheintz Reitze, wrote, "The current conflict surrounding the Russian oil supplies underlines the need to make energy production less dependent on imports. This applies in particular to the generation of heat, one of the most important applications of importer oil and gas. In the last year, more than 40,000 heat pumps have been installed in Germany. Forecasts for 2007 indicate around 55,000 new units will be installed."

Yet another intriguing "uber product" was the low-energy consumption circulators. I suspect Wilo will be first to market with their Stratos series, which is due here in June. These "mini energy" circulators, equipped with permament magnet motors and sophisticated controls, can get the job done with a fraction of the power consumption of our current small wet rotor designs. I spotted these pumps at the Grundfos booth as the Alpha series. Also offerings from Laing, Biral and others were on display.

Solar panels, pump stations, controls and heat exchanger tanks were everywhere. Large 750 and 100 litre tanks with two or three coils were added to my "wish list" of products. These components are ideal for solar and wood-fired hydronic systems.

I'm trying to figure a way to get these world-class products into the hands of the installers and customers in our country -- or inspire the "home town boys" to latch on to the great concepts from abroad. One could build them or outsource them. The buyers are ready. I get fired up about all this cool technology, and I tell other contractors and my customers about it. Then, I have to add, "Oh, we can't get that in the U.S." 

Why not? Our knuckleheaded measuring system. Metric makes sense and there is no reason at all that we shouldn't use it. Add that to the UL and other required listings approval processes. The result - fuggedaboutit. Too much hassle. 

Nonetheless, I'm not giving up. I will continue to preach about alternative energy and efficiency, and support the forward-thinking companies who see the need and the opportunities.

Speaking of solar -- I will partner with Plumbing Engineer's sister publication, PHC News, HVACtv and Oventhrop to film a live solar panel and system installation on June 7. Peter Biondo, solar trainer extraordinary of national fame and currently working with Oventhrop Solar, will join me to explain the ins and outs of selecting and designing a solar domestic hot water system. Then, we will jump up on the roof to do an actual live installation on HVACtv webcast. Stay tuned for additional HVACtv webcasts. We will also film the installation of a PHP Boiler stand with a Lochinvar Knight mod con boiler aboard.

Keep 'em plumb, level, straight and leak free.  See you soon.

 

Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr is particularly interested in hybrid radiant systems -- systems that utilize solar and wood energy in addition to, or in place of, fossil fuel. Also, systems that incorporate different methods of heat delivery. He owns and operates Show Me Radiant Heat and Solar, Inc. in southwest Missouri. Reach hot rod at hotrodradiant@aol.com or by phone at (417) 753-3998.