Seasonal heat performances of air-to-water heat pumps in the Greek climate

Abstract

With the implementation of the European Union (EU) Energy-related Products (ErP) Directive, heat pumps (HPs) and in particular air-to-water heat pumps (AWHPs), are expected to be widely installed in heating systems of residential and of the tertiary sector buildings. Heat pumps are nowadays regarded as a key technology for achieving the EU strategy towards nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) and for reducing the fossil primary energy consumption and the related CO2 emissions. The awareness of HPs seasonal efficiency, which is affected by multiple parameters, is very important for choosing the best heat pump technology and the right equipment in a heating or cooling installation. The aim of this paper is to provide the Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) of various AWHPs available in the Greek market from various manufacturers and installed in buildings located in the four Greek climate zones (A, B, C, D). The calculations are performed according to EN 14825 by using temperature data of four representative cities, one for each zone. Numerical results show the influence of various parameters, like HP's compressor technology, water outlet temperature, and weather compensation to SCOP value, and highlight the importance of climate data for the accuracy of seasonal performance estimation.