Heat pump integration and design for nZEB [5]

Since January 1, 2019 all new public buildings in the EU member states have to comply with nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) requirements. By the beginning of 2021 all new buildings will have to fulfill these requirements. Thus, cost-effective system solutions to comply with nZEB requirements are of high interest. Heat pumps will play a key role for the application in nZEB due to their high performance, reducing the need of on-site generation by renewable energy to meet an nZE balance. The ability to cover different building functions with one generator, even in simultaneous operation, and the demand response capabilities to enhance self-consumption of on-site generated energy and to support grid operation are further benefits, in particular in new buildings like nZEB. The collaborative research project Annex 49 entitled „Design and integration of heat pumps for nZEB“ which is accomplished in the Heat Pumping Technology TCP (HPT TCP) of the International Energy Agency IEA with the participating countries AT, BE, CH, DE, NO, SE, UK and the USA is investigating the application of heat pumps in nZEB. On the one hand, system integration options regarding building envelope and thermal mass, the ground as well as thermal and electric storage are scrutinised in Task 2. On the other hand, design and control of the heat pump for the application at low loads in terms of performance, cost and energy flexibility are evaluated in Task 4. The simulation work is supported by various monitoring projects in residential and non-residential nZE Buildings to evaluate real-world heat pump performance and demand response as well as to identify optimisation potentials. The presentation will provide an outline of the Annex 49 project and interim results of the Annex Tasks in the participating countries.