Evaluation of Dual Fuel Residential Space Conditioning with Heat Recovery Ventilator

Heat recovery ventilator (HRV) technology was evaluated as part of an EPRI research project funded by the California Energy Commission, titled the “Development and Testing of the Next[1]Generation Residential Space Conditioning system for California” [CEC EPC-14-021 project]. As part of the project’s laboratory evaluation, the dual fuel variable capacity heat pump was integrated with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to test and quantify the potential energy savings for cooling and heating mode. Using the results of the laboratory assessment for the variable capacity heat pump (VCHP) and the heat recovery ventilator, an energy model was developed which compared the performance of VCHP and HRV to a baseline system. For the energy model comparison, the baseline system was assumed to consist of a 14 SEER air[1]conditioner, forced air ventilation, and a natural gas 80% AFUE furnace, in a single-family residential home, across California’s 16 climate zones.

Southern California Gas Company requested that the EPRI team extend the CEC project analysis to determine the savings potential for an updated baseline system of a SEER 14 Air Conditioner and an 80% AFUE forced-air central gas furnace, with and without heat recovery ventilator. The project objective and analysis presented in this report were to determine the amount of electric and natural gas energy consumption required to fulfill the heating hours and cooling hours for 1 calendar year in each of California’s 16 climate zones.

The energy savings results are summarized in Table 3 and 6, cooling and heating, respectively.

Keywords Heat Recovery Ventilator, Gas Furnace, Air Conditioner, Energy Savings, California, Climate Zone, Technical Potential

Report Link: https://www.epri.com/research/products/000000003002020144 [epri.com]