Abstract

Heatpumps are seen as a promising technology for load management in the built environment, in combination with the smart grid concept. They can be coupled with thermalenergystorage (TES) systems to shift electrical loads from high-peak to off-peak hours, thus serving as a powerful tool in demand-sidemanagement (DSM). This paper analyzes heatpumps with radiators or underfloor heating distribution systems coupled with TES with a view to showing how a heatpumpsystem behaves and how it influences the building occupants' thermal comfort under a DSM strategy designed to flatten the shape of the electricity load curve by switching off the heatpump during peak hours (16:00–19:00). The reference scenario for the analysis was Northern Ireland (UK). The results showed that the heatpump is a good tool for the purposes of DSM, also thanks to the use of TESsystems, in particular with heating distribution systems that have a low thermal inertia, e.g. radiators. It proved possible to achieve a good control of the indoor temperature, even if the heatpump was turned off for 3 h, and to reduce the electricity bill if a “time of use” tariff structure was adopted.