Quantification of electrical load flexibility offered by an air to water heat pump equipped single-family residential building in Sweden

Paper in proceeding, 2023

Heat pumps are widely used in Swedish single-family houses for space and water heating applications, of which the most common is air-to-water heat pumps. Today, there is an increase in the variability and uncertainty of electricity production due to an increment in the share of electricity generation by intermittent energy sources. Hence, as opposed to the conventional power system operation, there is variability and uncertainty in electricity consumption and production. One possible way of addressing the challenge of balancing the power system is by using heat pumps as a flexibility resource. In this regard, this study quantifies the flexibility potential by developing and integrating a mathematical model of an air-to-water heat pump with the thermal model of a building with a standard way of space heating i.e., radiator heating. The result from this study will provide an estimate of flexibility levels from space heating, in terms of varying levels of reduced electricity consumption as a function of indoor temperature, during different outdoor ambient temperatures. Furthermore, the result of this study helps in employing suitable measures for demand-side-management to support the power system during severe problems.