Smart controls cut heating costs 30-57% by mixing heat pumps with district systems
Researchers developed an AI control system that automatically switches between heat pumps and traditional district heating to minimize energy costs in real time. The technology could slash utility bills for millions of European homes already connected to district heating networks while reducing grid strain during peak demand periods.
Originaltitel: A Model Predictive Control Algorithm for Cost Optimization of a Building in Hybrid Heating System
<p>With the increasing availability and affordability of building-integrated Heat Pumps (HPs), the number of heat pumps installed in residential buildings has risen significantly in recent years. When coupled with conventional District Heating (DH) systems in a hybrid setting, HPs provide higher energy reliability and cost-effective solutions for domestic heating. The operation of such systems, however, requires a sophisticated control system that simultaneously considers the dynamics of energy pricing and building energy needs. In this paper, we propose a nonlinear economic model predictive control to determine the optimal share for a hybrid DH-HP heating system. A resistor-capacitor thermal building model is utilized to capture the system dynamics. The results indicate that the proposed controller in the hybrid DH-HP system has a cost saving between 29% and 57% compared to the baseline scenario.</p>