There is a new furnace on the market that has very intriguing possibilities. When I was at the GreenLiving Show last month, I toured the mock-up R-house which had been on display at the National Home Show earlier in the year. The technology that caught my attention was the HeatWave furnace by Dyna Current. According to the rep. I spoke with, this furnace will produce heat at about half the cost of wood, propane, oil or traditional electric heat. In other words, it’s about the cost of natural gas, but if you live in an area where you don’t have that option, you are limited to the other heating methods.
The HeatWave furnace is a very flexible system; It comes in three sizes and two different models: one system is used with radiant hydronic heating, and one is used with forced air. Further, because there is no combustion involved at the source, the parts need very little maintenance. The system is flexible, it can be used with either DC or AC electricity. Using DC is recommended for furnaces because it is more energy efficient than AC. It can also be used to heat your hot water. The forced air system comes with a fan with multiple speeds, which means in the summer you can crank it up, delaying the use of air conditioners. The rep also told me that the company is currently working on an air conditioning unit to work with the system.
Because the system works off direct current electricity, it could, in theory, be hooked up to an array of solar panels. However, the system needs 6 kW of electricity to run, so you’d need a pretty big array to power it.
Cost (Note prices are as of May, 2012, according to Dyna Current’s website):
Forced Air
DynaCurrent HeatWave FA1 $4,995 plus installation (heats 1000-1800 sq. ft.*)
DynaCurrent HeatWave FA2 $5,895 plus installation (heats 1800-2800 sq. ft.*)
DynaCurrent HeatWave FA3 $7,495 plus installation (heats 2800-4000 sq. ft.*)
Radiant
DynaCurrent HeatWave R1 $4,795 plus installation (heats 1000-1800 sq. ft.*)
DynaCurrent HeatWave R2 $5,895 plus installation (heats 1800-2800 sq. ft.*)
DynaCurrent HeatWave R3 $7,495 plus installation (heats 2800-4000 sq. ft*)
The furnace is CSA certified and is available in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia, however, they plan on rolling out to the rest of Canada later in the year.
For more information on this furnace, watch this video on the product.
Subscribe to our blog
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news on green building materials and methods to help you build and renovate better.
You have Successfully Subscribed!
You may unsubscribe at any time.