Solutions from Ukraine: Ivano-Frankivsk to heat largest church with new wastewater technology, saving money and tripling energy efficiency
In Ivano-Frankivsk, the Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha, the largest church in Prykarpattia, will now have an innovative heating system that utilizes the heat from the city's wastewater. This not only saves money on heating costs but also triples the efficiency of electricity usage.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) Environmental Bureau reported that.
What is the problem?
In 2021, the Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha was constructed on Vovchynetska Street in Ivano-Frankivsk.
A floor heating system was implemented, initially powered by two electric pumps and a gas pump fueled by cylinders.
What is the solution?
Right now, the church is being heated using a cutting-edge heating system.
According to the UGCC, Yevstakhiy Kryzhanivskyi, the former rector of the Ivano-Frankivsk Technical University of Oil and Gas, suggested installing this innovative heating system in the 1,100 m² temple.
The heat pump utilizes the heat from the city's wastewater, resulting in heating cost savings and a threefold reduction in electricity consumption.
How does it work?
In 2021, the institution of higher education, the Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese, and the Environmental Bureau of the UGCC signed a memorandum of cooperation. Generous patrons funded the project.
To provide warmth to the church, the TN-100 heat pump transfers heat from the nearby sewage collector.
"The water flowing through the city's sewer system is 15 degrees. We have installed specialized heat exchangers to bring the temperature to the heat pump, providing heat to the building. Our pump is set up in a designated room and requires access to electricity. No additional modifications are needed," Yevstakhiy Kryzhanivskyi explained.
The pump uses minimal electricity yet yields impressive performance. Based on scientists' calculations, standard boilers generate 90 kW of thermal energy from 100 kW of electrical power. However, using the heat pump method, 100 kW of electric power can produce up to 400 kW of thermal energy.
"Currently, the temple produces heat with three times less electricity than it normally would, and there are no greenhouse gas emissions. This is particularly significant in light of the European Union's environmental standards," the author of the idea of an energy-efficient heating system, Yevstakhiy Kryzhanivskyi, notes.
This new heating technology was used last winter. On August 3, the groundbreaking project was introduced to the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who acknowledged that it would not only improve the church's energy efficiency but also serve as a guiding example for other institutions and residential buildings.
"This project has already heated this large temple during the last winter. Therefore, we are not talking about a scientific hypothesis but about a proven fact of a new system of an ecologically safe way to heat a large room. Thus, this project of success and hope based on the parish of Saints Volodymyr and Olha can be with the experience that will spread to our other institutions," His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk commented.
Professor Volodymyr Sheremeta, the head of the UGCC Environmental Bureau, stressed that the project will decrease the temple's heating expenses and make it three to four times more eco-friendly by reducing energy consumption.
Ihor Chudyk, rector of the University of Oil and Gas, proposed to create several solar power generation stations to make the temple also energy independent.
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It's worth mentioning that DTEK, the biggest private investor in Ukraine's energy sector, has cautioned that if the Russian shelling continues, the worst outcome would be that Ukrainians will be without electricity and heating for 20 hours per day during the winter.
