Viridian Solar and Dwell-Vent Ltd. announce that they have filed for patent protection for a jointly-developed invention that uses excess solar energy collected in summer to improve the comfort of buildings for occupants.

The great difference in solar energy availability between summer and winter means that solar thermal installations that are sized to produce a large proportion of hot water demand throughout the year stand idle for large parts of the summer months.  This leads to a diminishing return in the cost-effectiveness of solar heating as you increase the size of the solar array.  Working in partnership with Dwell-Vent, we have developed a system that puts the excess summer energy to good use – cooling the building, and increasing the comfort of occupants without the need for energy intensive air-conditioning,” said Viridian’s Chief Executive Stuart Elmes.
 
Mike McEvoy, Chief Executive of Dwell-Vent said: ”This innovation paves the way for the next development of the Dwell-Vent system that uses ‘supply air’ windows in conjunction with passive stacks to provide energy efficient whole-house ventilation in winter.  Now, in combination with Viridian’s solar panels, Dwell-Vent will provide good indoor air quality and comfort throughout the year.  System efficiency will be enhanced by greater heat reclaim in winter and boosted summer extract.”

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