Economic efficiency in the sizing of residential heat pumps
Abstract
A methodology to determine the optimal heat pump size, in terms of heating output capacity, for residential installations having annual heating requirements significantly greater than annual cooling requirements is presented. The optimal size heat pump is defined as the size for which total present value, life cycle heating and cooling costs are minimized. Incremental energy savings from increasing the output capacity of the heat pump are calculated using hourly simulation models of heat pump and building performance. The dollar value of the incremental savings, is calculated and compared with incremental costs to determine the optimal heat pump size. A number of sensitivity analyses are performed to show that effects of changes in load size, degradation coefficients, power utilization efficiency, economic assumptions and geographic location on the optimal heat pump size.
- Publication:
-
Final Report National Bureau of Standards
- Pub Date:
- July 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981nbs..reptV....L
- Keywords:
-
- Cost Analysis;
- Energy Conservation;
- Heat Pumps;
- Life Cycle Costs;
- Residential Energy;
- Economic Analysis;
- Energy Technology;
- Feasibility Analysis;
- Systems Engineering;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer