Simulation study determines optimal heat pump and solar sizing for a tiny house, indicating feasibility of net-zero energy operation through integrated systems.
Key Points
To determine the optimal sizing and configuration of a ground-source heat pump and photovoltaic supply system to achieve net-zero energy building performance in a tiny house.
Simulated a 20 m² gable-roof tiny house and its renewable energy supply system simultaneously using TRNSYS dynamic energy simulation software.
Calculated peak heating and cooling loads and evaluated monthly and annual electricity balances to verify net-zero energy criteria.
Peak heating, sensible cooling, and total cooling loads were 2.12 kW, 1.78 kW, and 2.48 kW, respectively.
Ground-source heat pump sizing required a heating capacity of 2.22 kW (at 0 °C entering water temperature), sensible/total cooling capacities of 1.93 kW / 2.69 kW (at 25 °C), and a 60 m vertical borehole.
Achieving annual net-zero energy balance required an installed photovoltaic panel capacity of 2.27 kWp.