
Net energy saving and performance index
Heat recovery systems recover thermal energy but use electric energy for the
fans. The net energy saving should therefore take into account the primary
energy needed to produce electricity and the fact that the losses of the fans
heat the air. The net energy saving per cubic metre of supplied outdoor air
(SNES in Wh/m
3
) averaged over a heating period is:
SNES ¼
o
G
L
þ
fan
ðf
r
f
p
Þ
_
mm
ð5:42Þ
where:
L
¼
_
mmcð
x
o
Þ is the ventilation heat loss, based on average internal and
external temperature during the heating season;
f
r
is the part of the fan power recovered as heat in the supply
air. This factor f
r
is close to one for supply fans and zero
for exhaust fans;
f
p
is a production factor, accou nting for the fact that the
production of 1 kWh of electric energy requires much more
primary energy.
A net gain in thermal or primary energy is achieved by the heat recovery system
only when SNES is positive. Otherwise the system even wastes energy.
By analogy with heat pumps, a coefficient of performance, COP, is defined
by the ratio of recovered heating power and used electric power:
COP ¼
G
L
þ f
r
fan
fan
ð5:43Þ
This COP is defined without taking account of the production factor, f
p
,asis
usually the case for heat pumps.
Examples of application
Airflow rates and heat exchanger efficiencies were measured in ten large units
and three small, wall-mounted room ventilation units. The main characteristics
of these units are summarized in Table 5.2.
Recirculation ratios and efficiencies measured in these units are given in
Table 5.3 and illustrated in Figure 5.10. The specific net energy saving
(SNES) and COP are calculated with a 16 K indoor–outdoor average tempera-
ture difference during 210 days, a recovery factor for fans, f
r
¼ 0:5 (taking
account that there are two fans in these units, one of them in the supply
duct) and a production factor, f
p
¼ 3:55, which is the average for low-voltage
electricity in Europe according to Frischtknecht et al. (1994).
Major leakages have been observed in several buildings. In four of them,
infiltration represents a significant part of the outdoor air, and in four of
them, most of the air leaves the building through the envelope instead of
passing the heat recovery unit. Significant internal recirculation is observed
94 Ventilation and Airflow in Buildings
Kommentare zu diesen Handbüchern