Experiences with commercial ground-source heat pumps

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · ASHRAE Journal

OSTI ID:372167

Cane, D; Clemes, B; Morrison, A ^[1]

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1. Caneta Research Inc., Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)

Although ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems are an effective means of reducing building energy consumption and electric load peaks, mechanical design teams at large need more information about them before they will be confident enough to consider GSHP systems for their clients. ASHRAE RP-863 has documented case studies of the design and performance of a wide variety of commercial and institutional building GSHP systems in North America to increase member awareness, and understanding of GSHP systems and confidence in this energy-efficient heating and cooling technology. Combined with the recently published Manual, members now have sufficient information to design these energy efficient systems. The case study information on each site was to cover the rationale for installing the GSHP; descriptions of the building heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC); and descriptions of GSHP systems, capital costs, energy costs and payback period, energy consumption and peak demand. Operating difficulties and owner satisfaction were also obtained for each site. The approach used was to identify as many commercial GSHP sites in the US and Canada as possible within the constraints of the budget; select candidates for case study development, regionally and by building type, that are representative of the population; and establish telephone contact with the heat pump supplier, designer, building engineers/operator, and utility personnel to obtain information. This article is intended to provide information on 12 of the 23 sites. The reader is encouraged to obtain a copy of the research report.

• OSTI ID: 372167
• Journal Information: ASHRAE Journal, Journal Name: ASHRAE Journal Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 38; ISSN ASHRAA; ISSN 0001-2491
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
ECONOMICS
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
PERFORMANCE
SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS