The possibility of reducing power peaks through a temporary reduction in central heating system power - simulations in IDA ICE

Abstract

In recent times there has been a trend of electrification worldwide, as large parts of the world move away from the use of fossil fuels. This shift is of significant importance, particularly within the building sector, which accounts for a significant portion of the electricity consumption. Furthermore, this highlights the importance of implementing strategies to avoid power peaks, which put immense strain on the electrical grid. Several different strategies have been proposed and analyzed by other researchers thus far, with the intention of reducing and/or shifting such power peaks, in order to better manage the available power without necessitating grid expansion solely for the accommodation of said peaks. This thesis examined the possibility of utilizing temporary shutdowns in available power in the central heating system of an office building to reduce power consumption during these peaks, while simulta- neously maintaining thermal comfort for the occupants. A literature review showed promising results from earlier simulations and experiments, which had examined several aspects of the subject at hand, including the thermal capacity of different constructions and dedicated thermal energy storage solu- tions, as well as several different control strategies for different systems. In addition to the literature review, multiple simulations employing different strategies were run in IDA ICE 4.8, for both a TEK17- and Passive House-worthy building envelope. Furthermore, the total water volume of the distribution pipes was considered as a heat storage medium. Custom controllers were developed using available IDA ICE tools, in order to adjust the temperature setpoints and operation schedules of different components, and their signals were logged to verify that they operated as expected. The results indicate that there is a lot of potential in these temporary shutdowns with regard to reduction of power consumption during periods of high demand. Among the most promising findings was the fact that the heating power in the central heating system could be shut off completely for up to three hours during a morning peak period without sacrificing thermal comfort. As expected, the Passive House model showed better performance than the TEK17 model in all simulations. The simulations also highlight the potential of considering the water volume in the distribution network as short-term heat storage with regard to water-borne space heating systems.