HO-18-C038 -- Energy, Cost and CO2e Analyses of Reversible, Hybrid and Heating-Only LF-AHP in the Northeast PDF

The development of commercially viable fuel-fired space and water heating technologies that break a coefficient of performance of 1 for residential applications has long been a barrier. The recent development of a low-cost absorption heat pump (AHP) has now positioned this technology to break this barrier and offer a next level high efficiency fuel fired product beyond condensing. This study is focused on comparing the annual performance of several liquid fuel fired AHP configurations against standard liquid fuel fired boilers, furnaces and electric heat pumps. These systems correspond to several different installation configurations (radiant, central forced air, zoned fan coils). Annual performance is investigated in 7 cities in the Northeast in AIA climate zones 1, 2 and 3. The study shows that the hybrid AHP system offers the highest annual source energy savings, shortest payback periods and lowest 15-year total cost when compared to the conventional heating systems. Assuming 100% biodiesel as the fuel (B100), the hybrid AHP offers the highest annual CO_2e savings.