GB2437416A

GB2437416A - A domestic services pod

Info

Publication number: GB2437416A
Application number: GB0707856A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Jennings; Thomas Paul
Original assignee: Kingspan Research and Developments Ltd
Current assignee: Kingspan Research and Developments Ltd
Priority date: 2006-04-21
Filing date: 2007-04-23
Publication date: 2007-10-24
Also published as: GB0707856D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a domestic services pod 1 and comprises a hot water tank or cylinder 5 and connections 6 for flow and return lines for a central heating system. The pod may comprise a support frame 2, a lower portion containing the on-board hot water tank or cylinder and an upper portion that contains a cold water storage tank 7 feeding a central heating header tank 8. The pod may also contain a mechanical ventilation system, an electrical circuit breaker board 40, a plug-in electrical supply 41-43, a liquid waste handling system and a boiler. The pod is preferably manufactured off-site and delivered as a pre-plumbed, pre-wired package ready to lift into position. A later embodiment relates to a house incorporating said pod.

Description

"Construction Systems" The invention relates to improvements in the

construction of domestic dwellings.

Services such as plumbing, electrical, communication and ventilation and associated renewable systems are what make a domestic habitable space liveable and an s interactive system. However, services are installed in a piecemeal fashion. Such systems are distributed around the house, often in inaccessible locations. There is no overall strategic approach, pre-design or engineering. Contractors of various disciplines arrive as separate contractors for separate trades, often conflicting and dependent on one another for space, service runs and interactions. This leads to waste of material on site, poor planning and associated time lost. It also leads to a lack of quality control on site, which leads to defects and call backs.

This invention is directed towards overcoming at least some of these difficulties.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a domestic services pod comprising a housing containing a hot water tank and connections for flow and return lines of a central heating system.

In one embodiment the housing contains a water heater such as a boiler. The housing may contain a cold water header tank and connections for a cold water system.

In one embodiment the housing contains a ventilation system. The ventilation system may be a mechanical ventilation system for delivery of fresh air and/or extraction of stale air.

In one case the housing contains an electrical circuit breaker board.

The housing may contain a plug-in electrical supply.

In one embodiment the pod contains a liquid waste handling system.

The housing may comprise a support frame. In one case the pod is mounted on a skid.

S

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a perspective view of a domestic services pod according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a domestic services pod I according to the invention. The pod is manufactured off-site and comprises a housing which may be in the form of a support frame 2. In this case, the pod has a footprint that is about 2nix2m and a height of 4 to 5m to span two floors of a domestic dwelling.

The pod contains an on-board hot water tank or cylinder 5 and has connections 6 for flow and return lines of a central heating system. There may also be an on-board boiler, which may be electrical, gas or oil-fired, for example. The pod also contains a cold water storage tank 7, which is located at the upper end of the pod. The storage tank 7 also feeds a central heating header tank 8. The pod has an upper portion 50 and a lower portion 51. The upper portion 50, when installed, will be located in the attic space and the lower portion 51 will be located on the floor below the attic. This will be the first floor in the case of a two story house and the ground floor in the case of a bungalow style house. The lower portion 51 of the pod will usually be located in the house in place of a conventional hot press and the upper portion 50 directly above this in the attic space. Thus in one single unit at a minimum the water heating and feed for the water distribution system is located in a single unit which is easy to install.

In this case there is also a liquid waste system, including a waste pipe 9 on board the pod. In addition to connections for a central heating system, the pod has connections to the water supply and waste systems for standard domestic water-using units such as a bath 20, a toilet 21, a shower 23 and a sink 22. Other items such as a dishwasher, washing machine and the like may also be connected to the pod.

The pod I also contains a mechanical ventilation system for delivery of fresh air through ducting 32, 33, 34 and/or extraction of stale air through ducting 30, 31, 35. A is cooker hood 38 may be connected to one such ducting 31.

The pod I in this case also contains the electrical system, including a circuit breaker board 40 and various connections for take-off of electrical supply to the domestic wiring system, such as 41, 42, 43, in a dwelling. The pod has connections for various electrical appliances, such as a cooker 45.

The pod may be considered the engine of the house or defined as a house engine. It provides off-site assembly and custom-fit services in a modular system that is factory produced and quality controlled, thus reducing call-back on site. The system can allow for rapid construction when combined with off-site manufacture. This means that the overall construction is less dependent on weather. Allowing the service pod or wall to be craned in easily during construction is more environmentally friendly, as it is cleaner and produces less waste. It can be enhanced further by incorporating bathroom and kitchen pods as plug-and-play into the service pod or service wall. Furthermore, the service wall/pod is further enhanced by incorporating the service distribution through wall, roof and floor elements. These closed elements allow a plug-and-play system. The system allows easy maintenance and re-fit of services via the engineered service wall or centrally located service pod. The system may be structural and have s service distribution self contained. The service wall/pod can contain all the necessary plant and equipment in one centralised location.

The pod may provide a combined heating, hot water and optional ventilation unit. The pod is manufactured off-site and is delivered to site as a pre-plumbed, pre-wired package. The pod readily is lifted into position. When the pod is in place it is connected to the factory integrated air and power distribution systems in the house structure. The house engine provided by the pod may combine high efficiency hot water production with warm air ventilation in one package using renewable technologies. The pod in this case provides mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

This provides fresh air inputs without the high ventilation losses associated with natural ventilation methods. The pod may have a high efficiency gas fired condensing boiler to provide heat for hot water and air heating systems. Renewable solar air heating may be incorporated. The system can optimise energy efficiency by monitoring the occupants' demands and house conditions and adjusting the system operation to maximise the use of solar energy. In winter, this may be high efficiency heat recovery and preheating of the incoming fresh air through solar air heating panels. In summer, the domestic hot water may be heated. The system allows the primary energy input to be supplemented by the renewable system (such as solar) to reduce energy consumption without compromising functionality.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described, which may be varied in detail.

Claims

Claims I. A domestic services pod comprising a housing containing a hot

water tank and connections for flow and return lines of a central heating system.

2. A pod as claimed in claim I wherein the housing contains a water heater such as a boiler.

3. A pod as claimed in claim I or 2 wherein the housing contains a cold water header tank and connections for a cold water system.

4. A pod as claimed in any of claims I to 3 wherein the housing contains a ventilation system.

5. A pod as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ventilation system is a mechanical ventilation system for delivery of fresh air and/or extraction of stale air.

6. A pod as claimed in any of claims I to 5 wherein the housing contains an electrical circuit breaker board.

7. A pod as claimed in claim 6 wherein the housing contains a plug-in electrical supply.

8. A pod as claimed in any of claims I to 6 wherein the pod contains a liquid waste handling system.

9. A pod as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the housing comprises a support frame.

10. A pod as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pod is mounted on a skid.

11. A pod substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A house incorporating a pod as claimed in any preceding claims.