The first of its kind in North America, Uponor previewed an exciting new innovation at the 2022 ASPE Convention & Expo — the AquaPort™. Ideal in multifamily or hospitality low-rise, mid-rise, or high-rise applications, the AquaPort is a self-contained unit that converts a building’s hydronic heating supply to on-demand domestic hot water.
This solution eliminates centralized domestic hot water (DHW) and recirculation piping in a structure to provide numerous benefits, including energy and water savings, improved water quality, installation efficiencies, and reduced maintenance.
Compared to traditional pipe-routing methods, incorporating AquaPorts can reduce hot-water energy use by up to 35%, eliminate up to 40% of unnecessary piping, and remove more than 50% of the total DHW volume in a building for improved system performance, efficiencies, and hygiene.
The innovative and simplified design and installation provides efficiencies for installing contractors and facilities management to help keep projects on schedule, within budget, and running smoothly. It removes gas and electrical supply lines and venting in each dwelling unit to save on both short-term and long-term expenses, and it eliminates DHW supply and return piping for fewer piping supports, fire penetrations, insulation, and accessories required in a building.
The compact, in-wall design is only 25.6″ (650 mm) tall by 14.5″ (368 mm) wide and 5.4″ (137 mm) deep to maximize overall square footage. Additionally, the AquaPort is extremely lightweight at 47 lbs. (21.3 kg) for the 100K BTU/hr. version and 57 lbs. (25.9 kg) for the 180K BTU/hr. version, which makes it easy for one person to maneuver and install.
“Uponor is striving to innovate tomorrow’s buildings with high-performing solutions like the AquaPort to save water, minimize energy use, reduce risk, and eliminate waste,” says Aaron Stotko, director, Segment Marketing, at Uponor. “We anticipate the AquaPort will revolutionize hydronic heating and domestic water design to elevate building construction to a new standard.”
For further details about this new product innovation, refer to the AquaPort Brochure. For more information about the concept of decentralized DHW systems, review this white paper or watch this recorded webinar on Exploring Efficiencies of Decentralized DHW Systems.
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