Improved Modeling of Residential Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps for Energy Calculations.

摘要

This report presents improved air conditioner (AC) and heat pump (HP) modeling methods in the context of whole-building simulation tools. Its goal is to enable more accurate evaluation of cost-effective equipment upgrade opportunities and efficiency improvements in residential buildings. EnergyPlus and DOE-2 AC and HP model algorithms and required inputs were investigated. This was accompanied by a survey of the available AC and HP performance data. Manufacturer-expanded performance tables were initially deemed the best option for generating model inputs, and an effort was undertaken to compile these tables into a usable format. This effort resulted in a database that contained performance data on 460 AC and HP systems. Section 3 describes the data evaluation process and highlights several issues. The database was used to generate the necessary model inputs for each system. Annual simulation results using unit-specific inputs were not as consistent as expected. These differences included wide ranges of predicted efficiency for a given seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER) value (both within a single manufacturers product lines and across manufacturers), and significant SEER overlap (lower SEER families outperformed higher SEER families). Current shortcomings in consistency and completeness of manufacturer data are presented.