The Use of Renewable Energy and Capillary Heat Exchangers for Energy Savings in the Existing Apartment

The use of capillary heat exchangers with a large area means the lowest heat carrier temperature – typically less than 30 °C for heating. This determines the very efficient use of the installed heat pump due to an increase in the coefficient of performance (COP) with a decrease in the provided water temperature. The aim of the study was to find out whether renewable energy sources and radiant capillary heat exchangers increase energy efficiency. In order to achieve the maximum energy efficiency during the renovation of the existing apartment, a combination of two green approaches was used. One of them is the replacement of the existing high-temperature radiator heating system with radiant capillary mats. The same system is also used for cooling, which was not possible with the existing system. The necessary energy is provided from renewable aerothermal energy by installing a heat pump together with PV panels to ensure electricity consumption.

The measurements were made in the apartment to determine the thermal transmission properties of all boundary structures and an air exchange rate using long-term monitoring. Experimental data were used to create the heat balance, to estimate the heating and cooling powers, as well as the seasonal energy needs. The amount of capillary heat exchangers and the size of the heat pump were chosen accordingly.

The very first energy consumption data allow concluding that the planned improvement of the energy efficiency has been successfully achieved by using technology combination described without improvement of the thermal properties.