Products
Innovations

Leading with Water

Innovations

GF Building Flow Solutions

GF Building Flow Solutions: a powerful offering fueled with market-driven innovations combining the best from GF and Uponor

With “Leading with Water,” GF Building Flow Solutions addresses the sustainability challenges, customer needs, and pressing megatrends in the construction building industry. Since GF’s acquisition of Uponor in November 2023, the renewed focus, excellence, and collaboration has enabled a stronger and broader portfolio under the high-quality brands GF and Uponor. At ISH, visitors will experience the combined offering, bringing customers complementary solutions including acoustic drainage and water control, serving the three market segments building, infrastructure and industry. In addition, GF Building Flow Solutions showcases innovations with impact, such as re-engineered hot and cold-water bathroom mixing to instant hot water supply – just to mention one of many examples.

Combi Port E-Hybrid flat station

More comfort, less water waste: no more waiting for hot water

The new Combi Port E-Hybrid flat station (HIU) represents the next generation of drinking water hygiene solution for low temperature systems, finally solving the common problem occurring especially in multi-family homes: the waiting time for the hot water to arrive. Incorporating an electrical booster on the heating side, it features higher tapping rates of 15 l/min compared to standard tapping rates of 8 l/min with lower supply pressures. The demand-based hot water supply reduces stagnation to a minimum, significantly decreasing the risk of legionella. On-demand hot water supply reduces energy consumption. The high degree of industrial prefabrication and quality ensures time savings in the planning and implementation phase.

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GF Hycleen Balance

Automated flow optimization with GF Hycleen Balance

The new digital GF Hycleen Balance valve accurately and efficiently distributes and documents how the hot water flows across the building based on the stagnation time and temperature. This facilitates regulatory compliance and is easy to operate digitally e.g. via smart phones with plug & play commissioning and building management system integration. GF Hycleen Balance is the ideal solution when legionella infection prevention is mandatory and critical where legionella presents a serious threat.

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Siccus 16 dry underfloor radiant heating system

Direct tiling radiant heating solution: up to 40 % faster installation

The Uponor Siccus 16 dry underfloor radiant heating system allows direct flooring on the ESP board, eliminating several steps in installation. At the same time, its low installation height of just 20 mm and lightweight construction makes it a real problem-solver in the renovation sector, where installers often face three key challenges: limited installation height, complex assembly, and floor load restrictions. “The new energy directive is clear, the demand to upgrade and extend the lifetime of existing buildings requires improved solutions,” says Thomas Fuhr. “On top of being a problem-solver, Uponor Siccus 16 provides optimal heating performance within only 20 minutes and is the ideal complement to low-temperature heat sources such as heat pumps.”

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Ecoflex VIP with Vacuum Insulated Panels

Next generation flexible pre-insulated Ecoflex VIP provides 70 % smaller jacket size

EU’s ambitious sustainability and decarbonization goals require more energy and cost-efficient installations for local and district heating. However, installation complexity slows down the development of alternative high-performance solutions. The fourth generation of Ecoflex VIP pipes features a 70 % smaller jacket size while reducing the heat loss up to 60 % (comparison with similar jacket size/heat loss with PE insulation). “Ecoflex VIP already combines the best heat loss performance and flexibility for foam insulated pipes. Now we introduce a high-flexible version, tailored to medium to large sized local heat distribution network applications, where the pipe size reduction is critical,” says Thomas Fuhr. “This ongoing evolution is a result of learning from advanced technologies in other fields such as aerospace. Our Vacuum Insulated Panel technology benefits from how refrigerators used in aerospace are insulated.”

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Next step of intelligence

Welcoming AI into radiant heating and cooling controls

Regulations for more energy efficient buildings have increased the use of insulation materials in constructions, making radiant heating systems less responsive. With Artificial Intelligence integrated into the latest Smatrix control for underfloor heating systems, it enables fast response, keeping the building at ideal temperatures throughout seasons. Based on weather changes, room temperature factors, and user preferences, the solution predicts, adapts, optimizes, and seamlessly connects with leading heat pump models. The cloud-to-cloud connectivity ensures a fast set-up of the system without complex wiring, installation, or additional hardware.

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GF EcoMate heat source management

GF EcoMate can provide 30 % energy savings at 0 % risk

GF Building Flow Solutions’ new business model GF EcoMate is a 24/7 heat source management, combining intelligent software and IoT sensors upgrading buildings to save 30 % energy. The majority of older buildings are equipped with fossil heating systems with high energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. “Real estate value quickly becomes a financial risk when building emissions are not in line with new rules and regulations,” says Thomas Fuhr. “Available energy monitoring and optimization solutions are normally linked to high entry and running cost. With GF EcoMate, targeting light commercial buildings, we want to lower this entry barrier. No hardware investment will be needed as sensors and software are provided.” Savings are achieved through weather forecasting and real-time building occupancy insights, monitored via energy usage patterns. The solution is brought to the market with a contracting service fee based on shared cost savings. “Launching GF EcoMate at ISH with focus on Germany, we look forward to further develop the concept in partnership with real estate and asset managers, as well as building owners,” adds Thomas Fuhr.

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I-Shower

Setting a new standard of shower installation and design experience

At ISH, GF Building Flow Solutions presents a new hot and cold-water supply solution to the industry. “With the I-Shower concept, we re-engineer the mixing unit into an electronic mixer within the Uponor Combi Port cabinet. This does not only eliminate the tile drilling for the conventional mixer, but also results in only one pipe per shower outlet instead of two pipes. This reduces significantly the complexity of digital shower installations and the mounting time by 50 %,” says Thomas Fuhr. “Using a high-design digital control unit gives freedom in shower space layout.” The I-Shower concept carries memory functions for different user profiles and ensures desired water temperature just by pushing the button. “I look forward to experience customers reactions to the I-Shower concept, where the ‘I’ clearly stands for Installer-readiness, Individual shower comfort, Ideal design, and Intuitive operation. I truly believe it can become Iconic.”

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