Demand response with heat pumps: Practical implementation of three different control options

Abstract

The electrification of heating and transport and decarbonisation of supply creates a need for demand side flexibility to balance the grid. Heat pumps are expected to form a major part of heat delivery, and many modelling studies have investigated the technical potential of heat pump demand response. However, little empirical work has been reported on the practical implementation of such demand response in occupied homes. This paper presents a cross-case comparison of three early adopters of heat pump demand response in the UK. The aim was to reduce heat pump electricity consumption during the same peak period, but each employed a different control strategy: lowered air temperature setpoints, lowered flow temperature and blocked heat pump compressor. A 56–90% electricity reduction during the peak period was observed; the success of the demand response depended on how the control strategy affected the heat pump and the rest of the heating system. However, no one stakeholder is responsible for all these system components. The fabric, heating distribution and control system and heat pumps installed are highly heterogeneous across the stock, highlighting that flexibility mechanisms must be developed that can be tailored to or work across their range. Three case studies of different heat pump demand response control strategies in real homes are presented. All three households reduced their electricity consumption during a peak period but delivered unintended consequences where the heat pump’s logic did not correspond to the demand response requirements. This study highlights that the implementation of heat pump demand response to support electricity system operation requires a clear definition of electricity system need as well as practical demand response mechanisms to be integrated into heating system design.

Building energy use in COVID-19 lockdowns: did much change?

“…Decarbonisation of heating through the widespread adoption of heat pumps may benefit from these findings. First, heat pumps are most efficient with a relatively constant space heating schedule (Crawley et al 2023) compared with gas boiler operation during constrained hours in a morning and evening period, as common in the UK (Huebner et al 2013); a switch to heat pumps may bring significant improvements to thermal comfort during occupied but currently unheated hours, a potentially attractive proposition to occupants. Second, a demand-side response of heat pumps may be required to support grid management (Crawley et al 2023) and the potential for occupants to adapt their practices to accommodate lower temperatures during certain times may support its implementation.…”

Building energy use in COVID-19 lockdowns: did much change?

“…Decarbonisation of heating through the widespread adoption of heat pumps may benefit from these findings. Firstly, heat pumps are most efficient with a relatively constant heating schedule (Crawley, et al, 2023) compared to gas boiler operation during constrained hours in a morning and evening period, as common in the UK (Huebner, et al, 2013); a switch to heat pumps may bring significant improvements to thermal comfort during occupied but unheated hours, a potentially attractive proposition to occupants. Secondly, demand side response of heat pumps may be required to support grid management (Crawley, et al, 2023) and the potential for occupants to adapt their practices to accommodate lower temperatures during certain times may support its implementation.…”

The Role of Domestic Heat Pumps in Providing Flexibility to the UK Electricity System

“…The range of grid services heat pumps could technically provide is explored by [27] and their technical potential in UK regions is calculated using modelling methods in [28][29][30]. Practical options for controlling heat pump flexibility are explored in a lab environment in [31] and in homes in [32], and UK-based field trials are described in [33,34]. A notable recent contribution is the energy justice perspective [35][36][37] which begins to explore themes such as fairness, household empowerment, vulnerable customers and those who cannot participate for various reasons.…”