Stiebel Eltron PACexplorer
Planning program for heat pumps
About the project
The sales company Stiebel Eltron France S.A.S is based in the historic medieval town of Metz.
Task
Development of a heat pumps planning program software for their branch in France
Realization
The PACexplorer is a design program for heat pumps and was exlusively developed by MBC for the French branch Stiebel Eltron S.A.S. The PACexplorer meets the country-specific requirements and helps specialist partners and field staff in France with daily plant planning.
LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
Extensive climate data for France are stored within the program to determine the outside temperature. The geographic conditions such as coast, island and altitude above zero are also taken into account.
The user enters basic building data such as living space, occupants and room temperature and can choose between different distribution systems (underfloor heating, radiator).
SELECTION OF THE HEAT PUMP
In the first step, the tradesman selects his desired heat source:
- air
- ground
- groundwater
The contribution margins for each heat pump are determined from the entries in the previous Location / Environment screen. This is an important parameter for the user, he can see which heat pump is best suited for the planned system.
Additional building services functions such as cooling, ventilation and solar thermal can be taken into account in the planning.
RESULTS AND CURVE DISPLAY
All calculated values are summarized in the diagram view and displayed as a curve. The specialist can thus identify critical and optimal solutions. The result curves show the performance of the heat pump, the heating load and the heat requirement.
SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION
The system recommends the appropriate buffer tank and hot water tank to match the selected heat pump. Deviating from the system recommendation, the user has the option of choosing further alternative solutions.
POWER PLAN
The hydraulic plan is valuable information for the skilled tradesman and can be printed out in high quality. Approx. 1,000 circuit diagrams are stored in the PACexplorer.
MATERIAL AND ORDER LIST
In addition to the main products such as heat pumps, hot water and buffer storage, all accessories are determined and displayed in the parts list. The user also has the option of inserting further articles from the database into the order list or he can create his own articles and also add to the list.
PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
This part of the program is very extensive and enables an exact cost-benefit analysis.
All electricity tariffs that apply in France are implemented. These are updated regularly via an online update. The application determines ongoing operating costs and investment costs. The heat pump system can be compared to other energy sources such as oil, gas and propane.
AMORTIZATION
Finally, the amortization of the heat pump system is calculated, taking into account the price development of electricity and the price increase rate.