Possibilities of heat pump integration for the renovation of dwelling houses

Abstract

The technical solutions for the installation of heat pumps in individual houses are well known, but its integration in the existing systems in dwelling houses is not common. Heat pump technology is referred to as renewable but would have technical, economic and environmental impact on the whole existing heat supply system in a dwelling house. The aim of this article is to investigate the possibility of using heat pumps for supplying heat to the existing residential buildings. This article examines the possibilities to supplement the engineering systems with additional heat pumps. The smallest heat pump end-user group is the dwelling stairwell. The possibility to use heat pumps in a separate apartment has not been analysed. This article analyses the integration of heat pumps for residential heat supply in the building. The primary heat source is the exhaust air or wastewater. All calculations have been made for several real existing dwelling houses in Birštonas town (Lithuania) within the framework of the CONCERTO Eco-Life project. The analysis also provides economic and environmental assessment of the alternatives. This research was supported by EC FP7 CONCERTO program (‘‘Sustainable Zero Carbon ECO-Town Developments Improving Quality of Life across EU - ECO-Life’’ (ECO-Life Project) Contract No. TREN/FP7EN/239497/"ECOLIFE").