Ground source heat pump systems for residential buildings in warm climates: Energy, environmental and economic considerations

Abstract

In this paper the heating and cooling energy consumption of a typical single-family house is calculated for five selected locations in Cyprus. Hourly calculations are performed using the EnergyPlus software. The results are translated in oil or LPG and electricity consumption, assuming that the typical building in Cyprus is equipped with an oil-fired or LPG-fired boiler for heating and local air-to-air split-type heat pumps for cooling. The same energy needs are assumed to be covered by an alternative system, i.e. a vertical closed loop ground heat exchanger combined with a water-to-water heat pump system for heating and cooling. The ground source heat pump system is dimensioned with the aid of the EED 3.0 software, analyzed using an in-house developed and validated simulation code, and as a result the electricity consumption of the system is calculated. Based on the resulting fuel consumption of the alternative system, the primary energy consumption and the corresponding emissions are determined, while a financial analysis is also performed. The results prove that significant energy, environmental and economic benefits can be achieved.