Analysis of the Influence of Control Strategy and Heating Loads on the Performance of Hybrid Heat Pump Systems for Residential Buildings

Erica Roccatello, Alessandro Prada, Paolo Baggio and Marco Baratieri
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Erica Roccatello: Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Alessandro Prada: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
Paolo Baggio: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
Marco Baratieri: Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Air-to-water heat pumps (HPs) are widely installed in new buildings; however, they face performance degradation with high temperature emission systems, which is typical of existing buildings, or during domestic hot water (DHW) production. Hybrid systems (HSs), composed by air-to-water HPs and gas-fired boilers, can mitigate these issues by increasing the overall system efficiency. HS performance is strictly dependent on the configuration and control management of the system itself. Moreover, the building and heating plant also have a strong influence. This study presents an overview of the application of HSs that considers both space heating (SH) and DHW production, by comparing the primary energy (PE) consumption obtained by dynamic simulations. Different climates, building typologies, and DHW withdrawal profiles are used to extend the results’ validity. Additionally, several HS control strategies were implemented and compared. The results show a PE savings ranging from 5% to 22% depending on the control strategy and the external parameters applied in the simulation. The comparison of the control strategies shows that the most efficient strategies are the ones maximizing heat pump utilization. The dependence of PE savings of HS on COP values is highlighted, and a correlation is presented to provide designers with guidance on the applicability of HSs.

Keywords: hybrid heat pump system; condensing boilers; air-to-water heat pump; simulation; primary energy saving (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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