A comparative analysis of the energy and economic aspects of air-source, ground-source and hybrid heat pumps
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17512/INSTAL.2026.07.05Keywords:
thermal energy storage, waste heat, hybrid renewable energy systems, heating and cooling of buildingsAbstract
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the energy and economic efficiency of a hybrid heat source heat pump (HSHP), comparing it with two conventional solutions: an air-source heat pump (ASHP) and a ground-source heat pump (GSHP). The analysed hybrid system consisted of an air-source heat pump with a dual evaporator that worked in connection with a heat storage tank using the phase change of water to ice for energy storage. This storage tank acted as an additional low-temperature energy source. It was charged using greywater heat from a single-family home and electricity from photovoltaic (PV), photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) and micro wind turbine (mSW) installations. The analysis was carried out for a single-family house with a design heat load of 10 kW, taking into consideration both heating and cooling demands. The results showed that the HSHP-PV variant could be used as an alternative to a GSHP for heating and cooling the building. The investment costs of this solution were 11% lower than those of a GSHP. Although the HSHP--PV variant required 49% more capital expenditure than the ASHP, it proved to be more cost-effective after 13 years of operation. Compared with the other analysed options, the results confirmed the significant energy potential of hybrid systems, particularly in contrast to air-source heat pumps.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Robert Sekret (Autor)
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