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Heat Pump Water Heaters: Interior, Ducted Installations. Presentation to the Regional Technical Forum December 13, 2011. Ben Larson, Ecotope ben@ecotope.com. Background. In October 2011, Provisional UES approved for heat pump water heater (HPWH) for:
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Heat Pump Water Heaters: Interior, Ducted Installations Presentation to the Regional Technical Forum December 13, 2011 Ben Larson, Ecotope ben@ecotope.com
Background • In October 2011, Provisional UES approved for heat pump water heater (HPWH) for: • Northern Climate Specification Tier 1 • Buffer space installs • Interior (non-ducted installs) • Northern Climate Spec Tier 2 • Buffer space installs • Northern Climate Spec Tier 2 Interior Installations require exhaust ducting • Left as “TBD” in October. • Today’s presentation covers ongoing analysis
Overview • Equipment airflows and installation • Analysis method • Analysis output and findings • Continued research
Equipment Exhaust Airflows • Flow range of interest: 350cfm to 150cfm • Flow measurements in lab: • Static pressure variation created with damper at duct outlet • Different models have different fans and flow characteristics • Field airflows will depend on specifics of each installation
Analysis Inputs • Used the same assumptions as with earlier HPWH analysis • 45 gallons per day of hot water • water temperature rise: 72.5F • results in a little less than 4 hrs per day of runtime for indoor temperatures ranging from ~64F – 78F • house characteristics the same • tightness: 7ach50 • ducts: sealed • 4 HVAC system types • baseline tank EF: 0.92 (50 gallon size)
Analysis Updates • Using updated version of SEEM which allows direct infiltration modeling in combination with exhaust airflows • HPWH exhaust air ducted outside • Water heater runs based on draw schedule • Water heater COP varies as indoor temperature changes • Ex: higher inside T in summertime for houses without cooling gives better performance than wintertime situations
DHW Energy Use and Savings • Baseline DHW Energy Use: ~3100kWh/yr • Measure DHW Energy Use: 1130-1280kWh/yr • varies because indoor temperature varies with season and climate • HPWH Interior Install Annual COP: 2.3-2.5
Overall Savings Estimates • Impact on house heating + cooling system depends on climate, exhaust airflow, and HVAC system type • Combining DHW energy savings with heating + cooling impact produces the overall energy savings estimate • 5 scenarios in 5 climates considered on next slide: • Interior non-ducted (0 cfm flow to outside) • 4 levels of exhaust ducting to outside • 150, 200, 250, and 300 cfm
Analysis Outputs: Savings Estimates DHW Savings Combined with Heat+Cool Interaction
Analysis Caveats • Caution:as yet, analysis does not include performance variation of HPWH with airflow • Performance at lower airflows could be expected to decrease but what is the critical airflow where performance drops significantly?
Measured Airflow Variation Effects • NEEA lab testing of ATI66 at 40F ambient found a decrease in COP of 10% for an airflow decrease from 338 to 177cfm • BPA HPWH lab evaulation observed Voltex compressor performance for 3 flow scenarios at 67F ambient temperature • Full flow: 475 cfm • ⅓ filter area blocked: 372 cfm • ⅔ filter area blocked: 284 cfm Small changes in performance
Analysis Discussion • Space heating impact (and therefore overall savings) is highly dependent on amount of exhaust airflow • Also, climate dependence due to increased infiltration rate: more outside air at lower temperatures increases heating load • Is there a optimized airflow which might reduce HPWH performance but at the same time provide a minimal space heating impact?
Continued Research – Next Steps • Field Measurements: • NEEA project with 10-15 ducted, indoor installations will measure airflow as installed • Project will also provide incremental install cost estimates • Lab Measurements: • Plans to measure AirGenerate compressor performance at 200cfm and 150cfm at 67F ambient air. • Installation Specification: • Is it desirable to write a spec to limit airflow upon installation?