Girad Hybrid
Hybrid Radiant Strips Heaters for Heating and Cooling
The only ones with patented Fraccaro condensation unit.
Radiant strips that use renewable energy
GIRAD HYBRID is the most advantageous configuration in the market for heating and cooling large environments. Girad Hybrid combines radiant heating with GIRAD condensing radiant strips and heat pump powered by a renewable source.
The strength of the GIRAD HYBRID radiant strips is the possibility of using the two most efficient systems when needed: the radiant heating system starts when outside temperatures in winter are very low, while heat pump operates when outside temperatures are mild and hot.
Thanks to the 65% tax deduction for condensing systems and access to thermal incentives, significant savings can be achieved on the initial investment. Girad Hybrid components can be supplied and installed on any radiant strips heater, replacing old Fraccaro or other brand heat generators.
The Girad Hybrid configuration also meets the requirements of legislation on the use of renewable energy in new construction.
Hybrid radiant strips heater systems have much more advantageous supply and installation costs compared to heat pump air systems such as rooftops and VRF systems. The operating cost of a radiant system is much lower than an air system, optimizing energy use while maintaining all the advantages of radiant heating.
Girad Hybrid Composition
Intelligent digital thermoregulation
the GIRAD condensing radiant strips heater interacts with the heat pump to ensure the best energy performance and lowest energy consumption.
High-induction terminals
During mid-seasons and winter, they supply warm air produced by flue gas condensation and the heat pump; in summer, cool and dehumidified air produced by the heat pump alone is supplied.
The Fraccaro hydronic kit
It combines technology, design, and innovation to optimize space and increase the efficiency of the radiant strips heater and heat pump.
Thanks to the modulating condensing heat generator, in winter, the thermal output of the radiant circuit is adjusted to the actual needs of the space to be heated.
How does it work?
Airsplit ECO40 units are direct expansion air-to-air heat pumps designed for the climate control of industrial and commercial environments. Operating fully autonomously, they provide heating, cooling, and dehumidification for any building.
Airsplit ECO40 consists of two units:
During mid-season
the GIRAD HYBRID condensing radiant strips heater activates automatically when external temperature conditions do not allow optimal use of renewable energy, or when the building’s required power exceeds the power delivered by the heat pump. Both technologies are controlled to always ensure maximum efficiency.
In winter
GIRAD HYBRID ensures the lowest operating costs thanks to the operation of the condensing radiant strips heater.
In summer
When the indoor temperature is high, GIRAD HYBRID allows uniform cooling of the industrial building thanks to high-induction air terminals powered by the heat pump.
Girad Hybrid system installed at a production facility
Also available in water-fed version with heating strips
Questions and Answers about Girad Hybrid
What does hybrid heating mean?
A hybrid heating system is an innovative solution that combines different energy sources and technologies. In our case, we have combined the gas-powered condensing radiant strips heater with the use of a heat pump powered by renewable energy.
How is a hybrid system composed?
Girad Hybrid consists of Girad radiant strips heaters powered by methane or LPG; along their length, the strips have high-induction terminals installed, which are positioned according to the actual heating/cooling and ventilation requirements.
An appropriately sized air-to-water heat pump and a Girad Fraccaro modulating condensing burner are installed outside the building.
The Fraccaro hydronic kit, essentially the cabinet containing all the components that optimize the operation of the radiant strips heaters and heat pump.
The last part of the system goes almost unnoticed but represents the brain of the system: digital thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is the part that decides which of the two generators should activate, thus ensuring the best comfort conditions and maximum energy savings.
What are the advantages of using two energy sources?
Every heating technology has its advantages and disadvantages; the hybrid configuration controlled by advanced digital thermoregulation allows the use of the most efficient energy source each time.
The heat pump is a machine that transforms electrical energy from the grid into thermal energy; the transformation does not occur directly, but through various physical principles it manages to “pump” energy using the heat present in the outside air. For example, the pump uses 1 kW of electricity to produce 4 kW of thermal energy. The ability to transform energy is called “efficiency” and the higher it is, the better. This value is called COP and in our example is 4.
However, the efficiency of a heat pump is influenced, in addition to the quality of the machine, by the outside temperature and humidity.
The COP of the heat pump decreases as the outside temperature decreases; this means that the colder it gets, the less the ability to transform electrical energy into thermal energy. The heat pump therefore shows its weakness precisely when it is needed most.
Precisely when the heat pump’s capacity diminishes, the radiant strips heaters intervene. The radiant strips heater is a proven technology that heats spaces by radiation using methane or LPG gas. Condensing radiant strips heaters achieve 107% efficiency; this means that by burning 1 kW of energy in the form of gas, they will deliver 1.07 kW of thermal energy to the environment.
Why should I install a hybrid system?
The hybrid system meets the renewable energy requirements imposed by current regulations in terms of renewable energy.
The hybrid system also represents the most economically advantageous configuration for heating and cooling large civil and industrial spaces, in addition to the advantage of having a single safe and reliable system for heating and cooling.
How does the hybrid system cool?
During the summer season, chilled water flows inside the high-induction terminals. The air flowing inside the terminal is therefore cooled and dehumidified.
The dehumidification action is as important as cooling. During the summer season, 90% relative humidity can easily be reached; to cool a space, in addition to lowering the temperature by a few degrees, it is important to also reduce the “latent load,” that is, the heat caused by atmospheric humidity.
Unlike what happens when using adiabatic terminals which cool by humidifying the air, the cooling implemented by high-induction terminals actually works.
High-induction terminals are positioned according to actual needs, then adjusting the air supply vents precisely and accurately, cooling only where needed.
Which systems can become hybrid?
All our radiant strips heater systems can become hybrid.
Older radiant strips heater systems can be converted to condensing by replacing only the burner module, installing a new modulating condensing burner and ensuring significant energy savings over time.
Once the radiant strips heater system has been converted to condensing, it can become hybrid through the installation of the heat pump, Fraccaro hydronic kit, and high-induction terminals.
What if gas radiant strips heaters cannot be installed?
In some environments, regulations prohibit the use of gas radiant systems, for example in high fire risk environments or in crowded places or public entertainment venues.
In this case, we propose the Vaporhybrid solution, that is, heating strips powered by a methane or LPG condensing steam generator combined with a heat pump powered by renewable energy.
How does Vaporhybrid work?
Vaporhybrid combines the same advantages of radiant heating using renewable energy. Heating strips are devices powered by superheated water that heat spaces by radiation; high-induction terminals are installed above the heating strips. Otherwise, it works similarly to Girad Hybrid.
Vaporhybrid represents an excellent solution for efficiently heating and cooling high fire risk environments, as well as gyms, exhibition halls, and public entertainment venues.
What does hybrid heating mean?
A hybrid heating system is an innovative solution that combines different energy sources and technologies. In our case, we have combined the gas-powered condensing radiant strips heater with the use of a heat pump powered by renewable energy.