Performance of Series Solar-Assisted Heat Pump Systems in TECH House I

Two configurations of series solar assisted heat pumps were experimentally evaluated in TECH House I on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. During the 1979–1980 heating season, a 4.2 m³ (1100 gal) insulated above ground storage tank was utilized. During the 1980–1981 heating season, the storage system consisted of an uninsulated 7.6 m³ (2000 gal) steel tank buried 2.1 m (7 ft) in the ground. For 1979–1980 the heating season system performance factor was 2.42 and the system’s maximum peak electric demand was 11.20 kW. For 1980–1981 the heating season performance factor increased to 3.16 while the maximum peak electric demand decreased to 4.33 kW.