An application of dual source heat pump in a subtropicalmediterranean climate
The adoption of heat pumps to meet the heating and cooling requirements of buildings is a promising solution, as it reduces the dependence on the fossil fuels. Among the possible solutions, the choice of ground source heat pumps leads to higher efficiency compared to the more widespread air source heat pumps, as they utilize a more stable temperature on the source side. When installed in places where buildings require unbalanced loads between the two seasons (significantly higher cooling than heating demand, or vice versa), the system’s performance may deteriorate over time. This occurs because the ground temperature can gradually decrease or increasing year after year, being stressed during only one of the two seasons. In this context, the adoption of a dual source heat pump can be a promising solution. It enables switching between two air sources/sinks (i.e., air and ground) to keep a balanced thermal load on the ground. This work investigates the performance of a dual source heat pump installed in a historical building in Malta in the context of the GEO4CIVHIC European project. A monitoring system was installed to track the heat pump operations and the gathered data were used to evaluate its performance. In addition, a dynamic model was developed specifically developed model for the heat pump. The present work shows the data collected during the monitoring campaign and provides a model validation, for future simulations which can help in the optimization of the system installed.