Hybrid Heat Pump Performance Evaluation in Different Operation Modes for Single-Family House

Abstract

Hybrid heat pump (HHP) represents a heating system (HS) that simultaneously utilises two or more energy sources. The key novelty is the integration of an optimised control strategy, effectively maximising the efficiency of both the heat pump and gas boiler segments. In this study, a HHP system that consists of an air-source heat pump (ASHP) and a condensing-type gas boiler (GB) for a two-story single-family house was calculated and validated. The results from three different calculation methods were obtained: the heat pump manufacturer’s calculator, the simulator programme, and the calculations based on real measured data. Two operation modes were tested: economic mode, where the cheapest energy resource becomes the priority, and ecological mode, where the system operates using the energy resource with lowest CO2 emissions. When comparing consumed energy, there was a 15.36% variance between the manufacturer’s program and the actual measured data, while for produced energy, the difference amounted to 25.81%. It was found that the balance point temperature is −7 °C, where the heat pump unit of the HHP system can cover necessary heat losses until that point, while the gas boiler operates at lower temperatures. Changes in electricity price can significantly influence the point of the system switch, but the possibility to cover heat loads of the heat pump unit always has to be taken into account.

In Situ Performance Analysis of Hybrid Fuel Heating System in a Net-Zero Ready House

“…In the colder regions of the US, this number increased to 73.6%, with propane and other types of fuels also contributing to 18.7% of the total. In terms of adopting electrical heating solutions in cold climates such as Canada, one of the biggest barriers to implementation is cost [10][11][12][13]. Udovichenko and Zhong [11] conducted a feasibility study in Canada where they used support vector regression models to determine the necessary heating load in various Canadian cities.…”

“…Their findings, which were based on a comparison of experimental, catalogue, and simulated data, showed encouraging improvements in indoor air quality over conventional space heating systems. In Latvia, an experimental study was conducted by Tihana et al [13] with a hybrid space heating system in a single detached house, consisting of an electric ASHP and a natural gas boiler. The experiment found for the system in question that electricity price was not the only limiting factor, but the heating capability of the heat pump resulted in a cut-off temperature of −7 • C, which played a large role as well for the given climate.…”