The University of Ulster has recently published a report which compares the performance of a copper cylinder with a stainless steel hot water cylinder manufactured to the exact same specifications.
The research project’s aim was to provide a definitive answer to how effective a copper coil type heat exchanger was, in comparison to that of a stainless steel coil.
The results of the report found that using a copper hot water cylinder on an exact like for like specification reduced the heat up time of the water by 28.8% over stainless steel.
In addition, of particular note, is the coil in the copper cylinder had to be downsized from a standard unit to ensure an equal surface area to the standard stainless steel cylinder’s coil. The University of Ulster then went on to compare a standard copper cylinder with a standard stainless steel cylinder, and found the copper cylinder showed a 62.6% increase in the power output.
The findings of the report are even more compelling for projects looking to incorporate renewable energy into hot water systems.
The 62.6% increase in power output means the transfer process of the energy collected by the renewable energy source, will be far superior using a cylinder with a copper coil. More hot water delivered quicker and therefore requiring less energy from other “paid for” fuel sources.
The report goes a long way to demonstrating the long term cost benefits of using copper hot water cylinders in your project, without even mentioning the copper’s superior bacteria killing properties, flexibility, long lifespan and recyclability.
