15 May 2023

Paper No 878 – General classification of heat pumps solutions for multi-family buildings – 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Chicago, USA

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The paper documents the results of the IEA HPT Annex 50 “Heat Pumps in Multi-Family Buildings for Space Heating and
DHW” and it is based on the final report of the Annex 50. The active Annex group consisted of seven countries (Austria,
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Switzerland). The working group has succeeded in creating a general
classification of heat pumps solutions for multi-family residential buildings. The solutions have been defined in a
standardized way according to eight representative categories. Overall, 13 solutions have been identified, ranging from a
fully centralized to a completely decentralized system (each-room solution). The solutions have been grouped into five
“families”, each grouping specific sub-solutions. In parallel to the theoretical classification of solutions, the Annex
collected numerous case studies representing implementation of heat pumps in multi-family buildings. The cases show a
wide variety of possibilities for use of heat pumps, depending on the energetical standard of the building, its number of
apartments, heat source and further characteristics. For each case study, a corresponding theoretical solution has been
defined. All these elements reflect the holistic approach of the Annex, which encompasses the definition, categorisation
and the practical implementation of heat pump solutions.