Evaluation of Heat Pump Operation in a Single-Family House

Abstract

Since decarbonization of the energy sector is among the top priorities in the EU, with ambitious targets of carbon neutrality until 2050, the energy efficiency of the building stock and the use of renewables are those directions, which can bring the most considerable input towards the achievement of these goals. However, it is not always obvious how to efficiently combine different aspects of low energy demand, availability of renewables, part load operation conditions etc. The results of dynamic IDA ICE simulations highlight that the introduction of renewable low-carbon energy sources should be thoroughly coupled with building energy systems and only their full compatibility can give a high efficiency of the entire energy supply system of the building. Analysing simulation data, it was concluded that for low-energy buildings, heat pumps would not always show higher COP values, compared to buildings with higher energy demand. Ground source heat pump (GSHP) will not always be more efficient than air source heat pump (ASHP). If the ground/groundwater temperature is lower than 10 °C, for GSHP it will be almost impossible to over-compete ASHP within the same system. While COP with radiators and underfloor heating differs only by 10 %, both for ASHP and GSHP.

The Use of Renewable Energy and Capillary Heat Exchangers for Energy Savings in the Existing Apartment

“…Its maximum heat output for water temperature regime in a capillary mats 35/30 °C is 5.7 kW at air temperature of 7 °C; rated COP at this temperature reaches 5.1 (in accordance with EN 14511), which is typical of modern air-water heat pumps [8]. Available studies on the application potential and possibilities of air-towater heat pumps in Latvian climate [9], [10] show the estimation of overall seasonal efficiency (COP) reaching 3.6…4.5 at high outdoor temperatures depending on various parameters, e.g., building energy demand.…”

Evaluating Reduction in Thermal Energy Consumption across Renovated Buildings in Latvia and Lithuania

“…One of the feasible approaches to reduce the energy consumption of a building is a partial or full renovation. A partial renovation of a residential building is primarily related to insulating the building envelope or retrofitting the heating system, while the full renovation of the building includes both the insulation of the building envelope and the modernization of the heating system [10][11][12]. It should be noted that before implementing measures to upgrade a building's energy efficiency, what measures stipulate higher feasibility in energy consumption reduction and economic terms have to be thoroughly evaluated [13][14][15].…”