TESTING A PROTOTYPE GAS-FIRED RESIDENTIAL HEAT PUMP

A new gas-fired absorption heat pump has been developed for residential application, providing both space heating and cooling. ECN has tested a prototype in one of its research dwellings. A direct water-to-water configuration was applied for heating, for cooling an indirect air-to-air configuration. Both ground heat exchangers and outdoor air have been applied as energy source. The experiments showed promising results, regarding energy performance, thermal comfort and reliability. Furthermore two cooling distribution systems have been compared: air cooling versus floor cooling. Compared to air cooling, the floor cooling reached similar thermal comfort (and cooling power) at a significantly higher supply temperature (generally resulting in a better energy performance for heat pumps).