Exploring the Feasibility of an Integrated HVAC System in the U.S.

New York State (NYS) has over 750,000 dwelling units with inefficient HVAC and domestic hot water (DHW) supply. To explore the opportunities of carbon neutrality, in this paper, we investigated and evaluated an integrated HVAC and domestic hot water system that could meet all the heating, cooling, ventilation, dehumidification, DHW and air cleaning requirements for a single dwelling unit. To evaluate its feasibility in the U.S., lab testing was conducted at first. It focused on the air side to evaluate the system capacities in an environmental chamber that could mimic different outdoor conditions in lab space. Then, a nation-wide EnergyPlus simulation was conducted in seven different climate zones. Lastly, a nation-wide energy simulation using MPC was also conducted. Compared to the results of EnergyPlus, it showed around 60% energy saving for both cooling and heating seasons.