Modeling occupant behavior’s influence on the energy efficiency of solar domestic hot water systems

Xin Zhou, Shuai Tian, Jingjing An, Da Yan, Lun Zhang and Junyan Yang

Applied Energy, 2022, vol. 309, issue C, No S0306261921017189

Abstract: Solar hot water (SHW) systems are widely used to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. The domestic hot water (DHW) usage behavior of occupants has a significant influence on the energy consumption of SHW systems; the operation of SHW systems also affects the DHW usage of occupants. However, there is a lack of quantitative analysis for coordinating DHW behavior and the design and operation of SHW systems to maximize solar energy utilization and reduce energy consumption. Therefore, an information-driven stochastic DHW usage model that interacts with SHW systems is proposed. The optimal design and control strategies for SHW systems to match user behaviors were explored. Meanwhile, the effects of occupants’ sensitivity to water temperature and their energy-saving awareness on the energy performance of SHW systems were studied. The results showed that optimal design and control strategies based on the actual DHW profile can increase the annual solar energy utilization rate by 11.5%, and the corresponding electricity savings, CO2 emission reduction, and cost saving are 163.10 kWh, 145.52 kg, and 81.06 RMB, per household. The location of the reheater had a significant influence on the energy performance and optimal measures of the SHW systems. Moreover, based on technologies or policies to adjust hot water demand, the water supply capacity of SHW systems can be matched with the hot water demand, which can improve the efficiency of solar energy utilization, save 8.5% of electrical energy for reheating, and lead to a 107.55 kg CO2 reduction and 59.91 RMB cost saving per household per year.

Keywords: Solar hot water system; Occupant behavior; Domestic hot water usage model; Supply and demand matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261921017189
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:309:y:2022:i:c:s0306261921017189

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118503

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().