Demonstration Project Objectives:
- Demonstrate the impacts of AWHPs in three single family buildings and one multifamily building in Wisconsin including both retrofit and new construction applications. This will include a combination of combined domestic hot water and space heating, cooling, and load shifting using a storage tank and controller.
- Define key characteristics (i.e., climate zones, age, fuel type, level of weatherization, hydronic distribution emitter type, and size) that make a home a promising candidate for an AWHP and identify high-opportunity archetypes for AWHP.
- Identify the installation barriers for AWHP in Wisconsin, including potential supply chain issues.
- Understand the comfort impacts of AWHP as retrofits to existing hydronic heating systems including whether the systems can provide both sufficient heat and hot water.
- Document the electricity consumption, backup fuel consumption, and system efficiencies of AWHP. Analyze the impacts to these factors as compared to baseline space heating sources.
- Investigate the load shifting potential of smart AWHP systems with storage tanks.
- Meter performance before and after installation and model the operations of the proposed AWHP using building energy modelling software to estimate the expected savings from the installation.
- Document system failures, changes to operating parameters, and adjustments required throughout the monitoring of the system.
- Quantify costs associated with AWHP systems and retrofits, including product, installation, and operating and maintenance costs.
- Understand the perspective of the following stakeholders through surveying:
- Users: ability of the equipment to meet user needs and provide a good customer experience.
- Installers: installation lessons learned, technology limitations, and training needs.
- Builders: installation lessons learned, sales pitch for technology to buyers.
- Determine any field limitations and opportunities of the technology.
- Draft a TRM workpaper to support eligibility of AWHP as a prescriptive measure within the Focus on Energy portfolio.