Experimental and sensitivity analysis of a smart dual fuel system in a net-zero energy home

[摘要] Hybrid residential HVAC system, comprising of with a natural gas furnace and an air-source heat pump (ASHP), is gaining interest as a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional HVAC system with a natural gas furnace and central air-conditioner. Such hybrid HVAC systems could take advantage of the relatively clean and cost competitive time-of-use (TOU) electricity pricing to meet heating demand with the ASHP during milder winter temperature and off-peak hours. Current hybrid systems rely on a pre-set outdoor temperature set point for heating source switching, thus making such system inflexible and not optimal. In the current study, the NZEH model was experimentally validated using collected data and an extensive sensitivity analysis was performed. The Smart Dual Fuel Switching System (SDFSS) was simulated to operate in different scenarios including different major cities in Ontario (Canada), different types of residential houses, operate under the proposed federal carbon tax and operate with different new time-of-use electricity pricing schemes. The different scenarios demonstrate the benefits and flexibility of such Smart Duel Switching System in terms of reducing the space heating energy consumption and associated operating cost and greenhouse gas emission on an annual basis.

[发布机构] Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto; ON; M5B 2K3, Canada^1

[学科分类] 土木及结构工程学

[关键词] Dual fuel system;Electricity pricing;Environmentally friendly alternatives;Heating energy consumption;Hybrid HVAC system;Outdoor temperature;Residential house;Zero energy homes