What the study found
The study found that, in the case building, a ground-source heat pump covering 50% of the winter peak heating load had the best overall performance among the scenarios tested. It also reduced soil thermal imbalance and had the lowest 10-year life-cycle cost.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that the findings provide theoretical and engineering guidance for the design and operation of low-carbon energy systems in green residential buildings in cold regions. The study suggests that the optimized operation strategy may help address soil thermal imbalance in ground-source heat pump systems.
What the researchers tested
The researchers examined soil thermal imbalance in ground-source heat pump systems for a two-star green-certified residential building in Qingdao, a cold-region case study. They proposed a composite energy system combining a ground-source heat pump, a peak-shaving chiller, and a peak-shaving boiler, and compared three scenarios in which the heat pump covered 45%, 50%, or 52.6% of winter peak heating load against a conventional municipal heating scheme. They used load simulation, techno-economic analysis, and carbon emission assessment.
What worked and what didn't
The 50% scenario performed best overall. In that case, the soil thermal imbalance rate fell from 34.47% to 7.1%, the 10-year life-cycle cost was lowest, and annual carbon emissions were 32.58 kgCO2/(m2·a), which the abstract says is a 33% reduction compared with municipal heating. The abstract does not report the detailed outcomes of the other scenarios beyond the comparison framework.
What to keep in mind
The evidence is based on one case study building in Qingdao, so the abstract does not show how broadly the results apply. The summary does not describe additional limitations beyond the study scope.
Key points
- A ground-source heat pump covering 50% of winter peak heating load had the best overall performance in the case study.
- That scenario reduced soil thermal imbalance from 34.47% to 7.1%.
- The 50% scenario had the lowest 10-year life-cycle cost.
- Annual carbon emissions were reported as 32.58 kgCO2/(m2·a), a 33% reduction compared with municipal heating.
- The study used load simulation, techno-economic analysis, and carbon emission assessment in a Qingdao residential building.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- 50% heat pump coverage gave the best overall performance
- Authors:
- Yubing Liu, Yibing Xue, Tian Mu, Yingge Zhang
- Institutions:
- Shanghai Research Institute of Building Sciences (China), Shandong Jianzhu University
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-05
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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