EFFICIENCY ASPECTS OF HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS – LOAD MATCHING AND PARASITIC LOSSES
Heat pumps often provide efficient solutions for refrigeration, cooling, heating and hot water. Although there still remains much to improve on the efficiency of the heat pump per se, in many cases much larger energy savings can be achieved by improving the design and component efficiencies of the systems that connect the heat pump to the load. Also, when building envelopes improve and control systems better match supply and demand, the active operation of the heat pump unit is reduced. Even now, some applications see more electric energy going into distribution and control than to the operation of the heat pump compressor. Examples show how the efficiency of existing heat pump systems may be greatly improved with no changes to the heat pump, how new HVAC system designs may drastically reduce drive energy to pumps and fans and how the use of ambient conditions and ground storage may provide cost-effective and efficient means for space conditioning.