Smart Heating System for Old Buildings - An Approach to the Decentralized Use of Renewable Energies

The central heating units of buildings are typically replaced every 20 to 30 years. There exists a variety of solutions for fuel-and gas-based units, but it would be advantageous to be able to use renewable energies. This would become possible by the combination of planar carbon-fiber-based infrared (IR) radiant heating foils with a heat pump providing hot water. The main goal of our proposed overall control strategy is to increase the energy efficiency while maintaining the thermal comfort for the residents. We examined the electromagnetic compatibility of the heating foils and simulated the relative contributions of the amount of energy provided by the heat pump and by the heating foils to obtain a maximum coefficient of performance for the combined heating system.