A Sustainable Heating Solution for Multifamily Residential Buildings in Cold Climates

Buildings account for almost 40 percent of worldwide energy usage. In Canadian residential buildings, energy consumption is dominated by space heating and domestic hot water supply. Thus, focusing on this sector is essential in the effort to reduce the environmental and economic costs of energy usage. In this study, a municipal sewage heat recovery system is proposed to supply the thermal demand of the building throughout the year. A Solar-PV system that feeds energy to the heat pumps and water pumps of the sewage heat recovery system is proposed to make the heating system 100 percent renewable and carbon-free. In addition, Solar-PV surplus energy after operating sewage heat recovery system is used to power electrical equipment in a residential building system with 826 apartment units in Ontario, Canada. The findings of this study can assist researchers to gain a better understanding of the technical and financial challenges of replacing the conventional energy systems with renewable and alternative energy solutions in the residential sector.