Comparative analysis of heat pump and biomass boiler for small detached house heating

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the work is to answer the question -which of the two selected heat sources is more economically beneficial for small detached house: heat pump or biomass boiler fuelled with woodpellets? The comparative analysis of these sources was carried out to discuss the issue. First, cost of both, equipment and operation of selected heat systems were analysed. Additionally, CO 2 emission levels associated with these heat systems were determined. The comparative analysis of the costs of both considered heat systems showed that equipment cost of heat pump system is considerably bigger than the cost of biomass boiler system. The comparison of annual operation costs showed that heat pump operation cost is slightly lower than operation cost of biomass boiler. The analysis of above results shows that lower operation cost of heat pump in comparison with biomass boiler cost lets qualify heat pump as more economically justified only after 38 years of work. For both analysed devices, CO 2 emission levels were determined. The considerations take into account the fact that heat pump consumes electricity. It is mostly generated through combustion of coal in Poland. The results show that in Poland biomass boiler can be described as not only more economically justified system but also as considerably more ecological.

The choice of appropriate generator systems to enhance the renewable energy share in buildings. A comparison between PV-assisted heat pumps and biomass boilers

“…A preliminary comparison between biomass boilers and heat pumps was conducted in [10] in which authors compared the generation systems exclusively in economic and environmental terms for small-detached houses located in Poland. They determined that the operating cost savings of the heat pump did not compensate the large installation costs in an acceptable period, moreover the CO2 emission level were larger than biomass boilers.…”