Paper Conference

Proceedings of BSO Conference 2022: 6th Conference of IBPSA-England

     

Energy Performance Assessment of Gas Boilers, Air Source Heat Pumps and Insulation Type Pairings in UK Dwellings

Cavan Manners, Siliang Yang, Michael White
Leeds Beckett University

Abstract: Domestic heating through conventional means is responsible for 62% of carbon emissions in the UK’s built environment, which certainly will slow down and hinder the UK’s target of Net-Zero Carbon by 2050. Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) is a promising way to heat homes with low carbon emissions. However, poorly insulated houses can limit the efficiency of ASHPs, and thus weaken the system performance especially during cold days. This paper assessed multiple design options of a typical UK dwelling with varying strategies of heating systems (gas boilers and ASHPs) and building fabric insulation pairings for reducing heating system carbon emissions and improving overall energy efficiency. Through IES VE energy modelling, it was found that the highest energy saving about 53% and 44% reduction of carbon emission can be achieved in the peak winter month (January) by means of well insulated building fabric in association with ASHP over gas boiler with the equivalent building insulation. The clear benefit of the adequately insulated dwelling was also apparent with a yearly mean 58% reduction in fabric heat loss against inadequate insulation. This paper contributes to the matters concerning the integrated effect of building insulation and low-impact heating systems on dwellings’ energy performance during heating season.
Keywords: Air source heat pump, Gas boiler, Thermal insulation, UK dwellings, Energy efficiency, Carbon emission reduction
Paper:
bso2022_53