Heat Pump
The page configures how the heat pump system operates by defining building characteristics and technical parameters to accurately calculate loads, size the system, and evaluate performance and costs.
Purpose of This Page
This page is used to define all assumptions related to heat pump usage and building conditions before a system is selected.
The Heat Pump Preferences page establishes:
Which services the heat pump will provide (heating, cooling, hot water)
The physical and thermal characteristics of the building
Existing energy usage and prices for comparison
Technical thresholds that determine when heating or cooling is required
Accurate and complete inputs on this page are essential for reliable system sizing, performance estimation, and financial analysis.
How it works
Hourly simulations are performed using the project location’s hourly outdoor temperature data.
For each hour, the heat pump’s capacity and COP performance are evaluated according to performance analysis at different inlet and outlet temperature conditions.
After the heat pump is added to the system, its hourly electricity consumption is combined with the building’s existing consumption profile.
This combined hourly consumption is fully included in PV and battery system feasibility calculations, ensuring consistent energy balance and financial results.
What You Can Do Here
On this page, you can:
Define the intended use of the heat pump system
Describe building type and thermal characteristics
Enter fuel prices and currency for cost comparison
Specify heating distribution method and building geometry
Configure technical thresholds and hot water parameters
Generate automatic system suggestions or select systems manually
Heat Pump Activation
Before entering system details, enable the Heat Pump toggle at the top of the page.
When disabled, the heat pump system is excluded from the project.
When enabled, all heat pump–related inputs become active and are included in calculations.
Preferences
Defines how the heat pump system is evaluated by setting building characteristics, usage purposes, existing energy sources, and technical thresholds that directly influence load calculations, system sizing, and cost analysis.
Purpose
You can select one or multiple options:
Heating – Includes space heating demand in calculations.
Cooling – Includes cooling demand based on outdoor temperature thresholds.
Domestic Hot Water – Calculates hot water demand based on building occupancy and usage patterns
The selected purposes determine which load types are included in total system demand and directly affect the recommended system and recommended capacity.
Facility Details
Describes the building’s physical and thermal characteristics used in load and performance calculations.
Building Type
Defines the building’s position and exposure:
Detached House
Ground Floor
Roof Floor
Mezzanine
This selection adjusts heat loss and gain assumptions.
Insulation
Represents the thermal quality of the building envelope, including walls, roof, and windows:
Very Good
Good
Medium
Low
Very Low
Lower insulation levels result in higher heating and cooling demand, increasing required system capacity and energy consumption.
Existing Fuel
Specifies the current energy source used for heating or hot water:
Natural Gas
Coal
Electricity
This input is used to calculate current operating costs and to compare them with projected heat pump costs.
Base Price (With VAT)
Defines the unit price of the selected existing fuel, including VAT.
Used to calculate current annual heating energy costs
Enables financial comparison and savings analysis after switching to a heat pump
Currency
Sets the currency used for all cost-related values in the project, including operating costs, savings, and comparisons.
Heating Method
Defines how heating and cooling are distributed within the building:
Radiator – Higher supply temperature requirement, which can reduce heat pump efficiency.
Floor Heating – Low-temperature system, higher efficiency with heat pumps.
Fan Coil – Supports both heating and cooling with forced air circulation.
This selection directly affects required supply temperatures and system performance assumptions.
Building Area
It defines the total conditioned floor area of the building in square meters
This is one of the primary inputs for determining heating and cooling capacity requirements.
Adjust Building Height Manually
Enable this option if the default building height does not represent the actual structure.
Useful for buildings with higher or lower-than-standard ceilings
Adjusting height impacts building volume and total heating and cooling demand
When enabled, you can manually enter the building height value.
Technical Details
Heating Threshold (°C)
This value defines the outdoor temperature below which heating demand is assumed to start. The system switches from neutral operation to heating mode.
Cooling Threshold (°C)
This value defines the outdoor temperature above which cooling demand is assumed to start. It is used to determine the cooling season and calculate cooling energy demand.
Number of Residents
This value is used to calculate domestic hot water demand by defining how many people occupy the building.
Daily Water Usage per Person (Liters)
Average daily hot water consumption per resident.
Existing Water Temperature (°C)
The temperature of the incoming cold water before heating.
This value affects the amount of energy required to heat water to the target temperature.
Targeted Water Temperature (°C)
Desired hot water temperature after heating.
The difference between existing and targeted temperatures defines the hot water heating load.
Selected Systems
After completing all preference and technical inputs:
You may manually select a heat pump system based on your own expertise and requirements.
Or use Suggest to view system recommendations generated automatically using all entered parameters.
Both methods rely on the same building, usage, and technical inputs defined on this page.
Energy Flow & Performance Visualization
After a heat pump system is selected, the platform provides a visual performance summary to help you understand how energy is supplied, converted, and delivered to the building.
This visualization is shown as an Energy Flow Diagram and Energy Flow Chart that explains system efficiency, energy sources, and losses in a clear and comparable way.
Energy Flow Diagram
The Energy Flow Diagram compares existing heating systems with the heat pump solution by showing how energy moves through the system.
COP (Heating / Cooling)
COP (Coefficient of Performance) indicates how efficiently the heat pump converts electrical energy into useful heating or cooling.
This value differs from standard test condition COPs and represents the annual average COP calculated based on the project location’s hourly outdoor temperature data and selected heat pump’s performance parameters.
Heating COP
Indicates the average efficiency of the heat pump while operating in heating mode over the course of the year.
For every 1 kWh of electricity consumed for heating, the system delivers the stated amount of useful heat energy to the building.
Cooling COP
Indicates the average efficiency of the heat pump while operating in cooling mode over the year.
For every 1 kWh of electricity consumed for cooling, the system delivers the stated amount of cooling energy to the building.
Higher COP values indicate better overall system efficiency and lower operating costs across both heating and cooling operations.
Heat Load Coverage Rate (%)
Shows how much of the building’s total heating demand is covered by the selected heat pump system.
100% means the heat pump fully meets the heating demand without auxiliary systems.
Lower values indicate partial coverage, typically supported by an additional heating source.
The Energy Flow Diagram compares existing heating systems with the heat pump solution by showing how energy moves through the system.
Left Side – Existing System (Example: Natural Gas)
Natural Gas Input (e.g., 16,492 kWh)
Represents the total fuel energy consumed by the existing situation.
Combustion Loss (e.g., 1,319 kWh – 8%)
Energyis lost during combustion and exhaust processes.
Useful Heating Output (e.g., 15,172 kWh – 92%)
Actual heat delivered to the building after losses.
This highlights inefficiencies inherent in combustion-based systems.
Right Side – Heat Pump System
The same heating demand is met using two energy sources:
Grid Electricity (e.g., 3,191 kWh – 21%)
Electrical energy is consumed by the heat pump compressor and additional components.
Environmental Energy (e.g., 11,981 kWh – 79%)
Renewable heat is extracted from the air, ground, or water.
Delivered Heating (15,172 kWh – 100%)
Total useful heat supplied to the building, matching the heating demand.
This demonstrates how heat pumps leverage renewable environmental energy to achieve high efficiency.
Show as Energy / Show in Currency
You can switch the visualization between:
Energy view (kWh) – Shows physical energy flows and efficiency
Cost view (Currency) – Converts energy values into operating costs based on defined energy prices
This allows both technical and financial evaluation of system performance.
Together, these provide a transparent explanation of:
Where energy comes from
How much is lost or recovered
Energy Flow Chart
The Energy Flow Chart provides a month-by-month view of how the building’s heating demand is supplied by the heat pump system. It breaks total heating energy into its contributing sources and helps visualize seasonal variations.
Average Demand in Selected Month
At the top of the chart, a summary shows the energy balance for the selected month:
Total Heating Energy
Represents the total heating demand of the building for that month.
From Electricity Grid
The portion of energy supplied by grid electricity to operate the heat pump (e.g., 463 kWh – 23%).
From Environment
The renewable energy extracted from the environment (air, ground, or water) by the heat pump (e.g., 1,543 kWh – 77%).
This highlights how most of the heating demand is covered by renewable environmental energy rather than electricity consumption.
Monthly Bar Chart Explanation
Each vertical bar represents one month of the year and shows:
Green section – Environment
Heat is captured from the environment.
Blue section – Electricity Grid
Electrical energy is consumed by the heat pump.
The combined height of each bar equals the total heating energy demand for that month.
Seasonal Behavior
Winter months show higher total demand due to colder outdoor temperatures, with increased energy taken from the environment and higher electricity usage.
Spring and Autumn months show reduced demand and lower electricity consumption.
Summer months show minimal heating demand.
This seasonal visualization helps assess system sizing accuracy and expected operational behavior throughout the year.
These seasonal behavior values are location-dependent and may vary, with cooling being higher in warmer climates.
Energy vs. Cost View
Using the toggle, the chart can be displayed as:
Energy (kWh) – Focuses on physical energy flows and system efficiency
Cost (Currency) – Converts monthly energy values into operating costs based on defined electricity prices
By combining performance metrics with visuals, this section helps users confidently understand system behavior, validate recommendations, and clearly communicate the value of heat pump solutions to stakeholders.
Related Pages
If you encounter any issues, feel free to contact us.
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