Evaluating the Performance of Heat Pump Systems for Residential Buildings at George Washington University
Open Access Depositedtransitioning to heat pumps increases operational cost by as much as 56% in each building. However, HVAC related scope 1 CO₂ emissions are eliminated in all three buildings when switching from burning natural gas to electricity. Scope 2 emissions from the Pepco Grid must still be considered. Varied scope 2 emissions reductions are observed in all three buildings with substantial reductions in Strong Hall and Guthridge Hall. 2109 F St. does not see significant reductions until GW’s Solar Purchasing Agreement with Duke Energy is considered, which supplies equivalently 50% of the electricity used on GW’s campus. Introducing this electricity carbon offsetting factor yielded as much as a 63% decrease in CO₂ in Guthridge Hall. Ultimately, transitioning from traditional steam boiler systems to heat pumps will see a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions, contributing positively to the university’s goal of decarbonization by 2030. However, transitioning to heat pumps would result in operational cost increases that may not be financially feasible.
(1) a centralized air source heat pump and (2) either window-fitted heat pumps or a centralized Variable Refrigerant Flow heat pump, depending on the existing infrastructure in each building. Each building was modeled with the current HVAC configuration, the centralized air source heat pump, and the complementary heat pump system to determine if technology transition is viable for these buildings. Modeling results indicated that while thermal energy demand is reduced as expected, the increased fuel cost from natural gas to electricity is not offset by that reduction
Three historic residential buildings at George Washington University – 2109 F St, Strong Hall, and Guthridge Hall – were assessed for implementation of heat pump HVAC systems. This would reduce natural gas consumption and, subsequently, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in line with the university’s sustainability goals. Based on industry experience, heat pumps are expected to reduce heating energy demand by 30-50% from a natural gas boiler, which currently is used by all three target buildings. Two heat pump configurations per building were selected for investigation
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.