Waste-heat recovery from an air conditioner for swimming pool heating

Air conditioning loads drive peak demand and contribute to overall electric power consumption in California. In the summer, cooling loads are highest in the middle of the day when air conditioners are the least efficient. Rejecting waste heat from an air conditioner to a swimming pool rather than outside air can significantly reduce the peak rejection temperatures, and thus peak electricity demand for the air conditioner. Simultaneously, pool heating costs can be reduced by supplementing or replacing the natural gas pool heater with heat rejected from the air conditioner. This project demonstrated the impact of rejecting air conditioner waste heat to a heated swimming pool, in comparison to a conventional system that rejected heat to ambient air only.