Two additional 1/25-HP circulators feed the home’s three heating zones through more than 3,200 feet of Uponor 3/8-inch hePEX™ (crosslinked polyethylene) tubing, buried in the basement slab as well as stapled under the main floor.ĭomestic hot water was provided by a 150,000 BTU Rinnai propane-fired tankless water heater. For Wolking and Ainsworth, the savings surpassed 75 percent.Įmphasis on energy savings: Wolking installed a standard 1/25-horsepower (HP) primary circulator that delivers hot water from Ainsworth’s 135,000 BTU, propane-fired Weil-McLain boiler to a mixing valve and a secondary loop. As a result, the ECM circulator is designed to cut power consumption by at least 50 percent and usually more, as compared with other circulators in its class. The system today exceeds this seemingly implausible goal, drawing just one-fifth of that 300-watt target – 57 watts – thanks to a revolutionary new ECM circulator from Grundfos Pumps.įirst introduced by Grundfos in Europe roughly a decade ago, the ALPHA™ is an energy-optimized, 115-volt circulator that automatically and continuously adjusts its performance to adapt to the changing needs of the hydronic heating system. In fact, one of the major challenges for the project was to power the home’s heating system while using less energy than three 100-watt light bulbs. Wolking, a 12-year plumbing-industry veteran, who doubles as the lead guitarist for the Sons and Brothers bluegrass band, worked with homeowners Johnny and Gayle Ainsworth to design a heating system that would be both comfortable and energy-efficient. In addition to specifying a system that could provide space heating and domestic hot water for the 2,300-square-foot, two-story ranch, Wolking’s design had to consume roughly 40 percent less energy.Ĭompleted in March 2009, the off-grid home uses 16 solar photovoltaic panels to generate all of the power necessary to fuel the radiant heat, hot water and all the modern amenities you would expect in a 21st century American household: washer, dryer, dishwasher, personal computers, and even a flat screen plasma television. Target – 40% power reduction: To understand why this technology is so appealing, put yourself in the shoes of plumbing contractor Mike Wolking, who was asked to design a plumbing and hydronic heating system for a custom solar home in south-central Colorado. Said differently, this technology provides the minimal output required to achieve optimal comfort - all without direct human intervention. Instead, today’s most advanced ECM circulators automatically determine the lowest possible operating-efficiency point to meet changing system demand. Two, by reducing the flow, they can increase the temperature difference between water leaving the boiler and water returning – which improves efficiency – so you use less heating fuel… And three, these pumps compensate for the fact that circulator pumps are almost always significantly oversized,” asserts the 30-year industry veteran and authority on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible design and construction. “One, they allow you to save pumping energy by varying the flow rate. These variable-speed, ECM circulators make a lot of sense for several reasons, writes Wilson in his “Alex’s Cool Product of the Week” blog published April 10, 2010. ECM technology has gradually attracted the attention of sustainable building proponents such as Alex Wilson, founder and executive editor of, an independent building industry resource.
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