Annual operating characteristics of solar central water heater system assisted by heat pump

The solar central water heater (SCWH) could supply hot water for massive users effectively and reliably. A SCWH assisted by heat pump (SCWHP) was proposed by replacing the electrical heating appliance with the heat pump. The heat pump could grantee that SCWH woks under any conditions and energy consumption could be reduced sharply. Because the climate situation is quite different between the southern part and the northern part of China, annual operating property of SCWHP would be rather different placing the equipment in different regions. However, few studies focus on this aspect. In the present paper, based on the meteorological data in Xi'an and Guangzhou city, 2005, a proper mathematical model calibrated by some experimental data was established to simulate the annual performance coefficient, input power of SCWHP respectively. Annual operating properties of the same apparatus placed in the two regions were also compared.