Research

Solar Sustainable Heating, Cooling and Ventilation of a Net Zero Energy House

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Abstract

Present work addresses the heating, cooling and ventilation concerns of the Technical University of Denmark’s house, Fold, for Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. Various innovative approaches are investigated, namely, utilization of ground, photo-voltaic/thermal (PV/T) panels and phase change materials (PCM). The ground heat exchanger acts as the heat sink and heat source for cooling and heating seasons, respectively. Free cooling enables the same cooling effect to be delivered with 8% of the energy consumption of a representative chiller. The heating and cooling needs of the house are addressed by the embedded pipes which are coupled with the ground. Ventilation is mainly used to control the humidity and to remove sensory and chemical pollution. PV/T panels enable the house to be a “plus” energy house. PV/T also yields to a solar fraction of 63% and 31% for Madrid and Copenhagen, respectively. A combination of embedded pipes and PCM was simulated and results show energy savings up to 30%, for cooling season in Madrid, compared to using only embedded pipes. However this option was not realized in the actual house. Once this house is built, tested and optimized, further possibilities will be investigated in order to apply a similar strategy to the entire building block. This will lead to considerable amount of primary energy savings and consequently avoided greenhouse gas emissions.