An energy saving potential evaluation method of a pipe-embedded wall integrated with natural energies

Abstract

Pipe-embedded wall (PEWall) can be integrated with various natural energies to significantly reduce building load and energy consumption. However, a general method for quickly assessing the energy-saving potential of such different systems is currently lacking. To address this gap, a novel evaluation method based on revised degree hour is presented. This method focuses on the determination of main parameters essential for accurate assessment. The proposed method is validated by comparing its results with that of a reference model, demonstrating good accuracy. Case study is conducted to evaluate the energy saving potentials of the PEWall with the ground source heat exchanger (GSHE), the cooling tower (CT) and the solar energy collector (SEC) in Wuhan, a hot summer and cold winter climate region. The evaluation results show that, the energy savings of the PEWall-GSHE system for cooling and heating can reach 6.51 kWh/m2 and 2.79 kWh/m2 respectively, demonstrating good energy saving potential. For the PEWall-SEC system, the energy saving for heating is 3.98 kWh/m2 which is acceptable. For the PEWall-CT system, a limited energy saving for cooling of 1.22 kWh/m2 is presented. In conclusion, this evaluation method can effectively assess the energy-saving potentials of the PEWall with different natural energies.