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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Residential conservation demonstration: domestic hot water. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6814764

Four types of domestic hot water (DHW) systems installed in 80 homes throughout Florida were monitored from July 1982 to June 1983 by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) under a demonstration program for the Florida Public Service Commission. DHW systems selected for the program are located in four major population areas of Florida: Jacksonville, Orlando/Brevard County, Broward/Palm Beach Counties, and the Tampa Bay region. Twenty systems of each DHW type - conventional electric water heaters, heat pump water heaters, solar hot water systems, and waste heat recovery units - are metered to determine electricity use and hot water energy production. A microprocessor-based load profile recorder collects 15-minute interval data at each site and transfers it to an FSEC microcomputer over the telephone network twice a week. Analysis of a year's worth of data indicates that solar water heating systems operated with the highest average system efficiency and had the lowest average daily electrical load profile. Solar systems and waste heat recovery units had the least electrical demand on the Florida utility system summer peak day while solar and heat pump water heaters demonstrated the ability to shift or reduce the winter peak. Heat pump water heaters also demonstrated the best annual load factor but indicated problems with system reliability.

Research Organization:
Florida Solar Energy Center, Cape Canaveral (USA). Research and Development Div.
OSTI ID:
6814764
Report Number(s):
FSEC-CR-90-83; ON: DE84901372
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English