Toward residential building energy conservation through the Trombe wall and ammonia ground source heat pump retrofit options, applying eQuest model

Abstract

The aim of this research is to apply the eQuest model to investigate the energy conservation in a multifamily building located in Dayton, Ohio by using a Trombe wall and an ammonia ground source heat pump (R-717 GSHP). Integration of the Trombe wall into the building is the first retrofitting measure in this study. Trombe wall as a passive solar system, has a simple structure which may reduce the heating demand of buildings significantly. Utilization of ground source heat pump is an effective approach where conventional air source heat pump doesn't have an efficient performance, especially in cold climates. Furthermore, the type of refrigerant in the heat pumps has a substantial effect on energy efficiency. Natural refrigerant, ammonia (R-717), which has a high performance and no negative impacts on the environment, could be the best choice for using in heat pumps. After implementing the eQUEST model in the said multifamily building, the total annual energy consumption with a conventional R-717 air-source-heat-pump (ASHP) system was estimated as the baseline model. The baseline model results were compared to those of the following scenarios: using R-717 GSHP, R410a GSHP and integration of the Trombe wall into the building. The Results specified that, compared to the baseline model, applying the R-717 GSHP and Trombe wall, led to 20% and 9% of energy conservation in the building, respectively. In addition, it was noticed that by using R-410a instead of R-717 in the GSHP, the energy demand increased by 14%.