Heating Performance and Energy Efficiency Analysis of Air-Source Heat Pumps in Public Buildings Across Different Climate Zonings

Article Heating Performance and Energy Efficiency Analysis of Air-Source Heat Pumps in Public Buildings Across Different Climate Zonings Junbao Fan 1, Yilin Liu 1,*, Jing Ma 2, Ying Cao 1,2, Zhibin Zhang 1, Xin Cui 1 and Liwen Jin 1,* 1 School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China 2 China Architecture Design and Research Group, Beijing 100044, China * Correspondence: [email protected] (Y.L.); [email protected] (L.J.) Received: 11 July 2024; Revised: 3 September 2024; Accepted: 5 September 2024; Published: 20 September 2024 Abstract: Public buildings exhibit the highest operational energy consumption and contribute the most to carbon emissions compared to other types of building. The electrification of energy terminals in public buildings is crucial for the energy conservation and emission reduction, especially the energy-saving retrofitting of heating systems. Given the significant impact of climate on the performance of air-source heat pumps, this study explored the performance and energy efficiency of air-source heat pump systems in public buildings across different climate zonings. Using Design Builder software, the physical models of three types of public buildings (commercial, hotel, and office) were constructed, and the annual variations in the building load was analyzed. Considering the effects of defrosting and low-temperature conditions, an air-source heat pump heating system models were developed using TRNSYS software. The simulation results showed that the average COP of the heat pump system on the coldest day in Harbin, Beijing, and Shanghai were 1.7, 2.46 and 2.49, respectively. Moreover, the analysis factor correlation analysis reveals that the COP of the heat pump system is positively correlated with the dry-bulb temperature, negatively correlated with the building load. Surprisingly, the COP is not affected by the types of public buildings. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable guidance for the application and regulation of air-source heat pumps in the public buildings.