Blaine, Minnesota · 2020
Murphy Bros headquarters
After a fire, a remodeler rebuilt with thermal mass floor heat, a heated entrance, and 38 sensors that track how the system performs.
- Building
- 10,000 sq ft office, showroom and warehouse
- Heat
- 33 floor heating circuits, staged by need
- Sensors
- 38, in the slab, the air and the ground
- Also
- Snow and ice melting at the entrance
The challenge
In May 2019, a fire destroyed the office and warehouse of Murphy Bros, a remodeling company in Blaine. The building, and even its slab and some footings, had to come out. The company rebuilt as a 10,000 square foot office, showroom and warehouse, with construction by Classic Construction of Cedar starting in the winter of 2019–2020.
The system
Premier Energy USA installed ThermaRay thermal mass floor heating under the concrete, wired so the 33 circuits can be staged and cycled based on what each space needs.
The building also became a case study. Custom controls from Premier Energy Controls tie the floor heat to 38 sensors: 25 in the slab above the heating circuits, 7 thermostats at about 5 feet, one at 22 feet, 4 in the ground from 1 to 4 feet deep, and one outdoors. CO₂, air quality and door sensors work with the HVAC system, and everything is visible in real time from a phone or computer.
The system runs on the off-peak program from Connexus Energy. Premier Energy Controls is monitoring it for Connexus and Great River Energy.
A heated entrance
The front sidewalk and entrance have a limited-mass snow and ice melting system. Those panels sit on insulation so the heat goes up into the concrete as fast as possible, and the system turns on automatically when it senses moisture below 33°F.
From the project story on premierenergyusa.com. Read the original post
Watch the project videos.
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