ZEMCH 2019 International Conference Proceedings April.2020 | Page 285
Zero‐energy Sustainable Heating and Cooling System
Exploration in Cool and Hot Climates
Koon Beng Ooi 1,* and Masa Noguchi 1 ,
1 ZEMCH Lab, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia: [email protected], [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract: This paper updates a research in using only renewable sources and hydronic radiators (HR)
to heat homes. HR for home cooling is suspended because hot climates usually have higher humidity;
to dehumidify and ventilate to remove latent metabolic heat needs additional equipment that makes
it uncompetitive to air systems. At the Melbourne experimental house, a 50m‐deep vertical ground
heat exchanger heats water to 15.5±1°C, which is circulated to a floor‐HR. The surface temperature
reached the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) nighttime heating thermostat of
15°C only when the outdoor is above 10°C. Therefore, insulation will be installed into the ground
around the perimeter edge of the floor. For the past 5 years a 1.5 kW solar photovoltaic connected to
the grid did not reduce the winter electricity bills. Data from US and UK show that from 2018,
percentage of wood as a renewable fuel, has increased and pruning of trees provide renewable
branches. Therefore, to reach the daytime heating thermostat of 20°C, wood will be burnt to heat rain
water for a finned‐tube radiator‐convector (RC), after which this water will be filtered to be domestic
hot water. Solar photovoltaic and battery will operate the low‐energy water circulation pumps.
Keywords: Hydronic Radiator, Vertical Ground Heat Exchanger, Renewable Wood, Radiator‐
convector, Comestic Hot Water, ,
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