Optimal heating and cooling control strategies for heat pumps require a dynamlc model for predicting the performance characteristics of the overall system. A modeling procedure has been developed that can predict the indoor temperature of a residence as a function of ambient weather conditions (temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction) and heat pump electrical consumption. This procedure results in a rational, discrete-time, model which is directly derived from actual performance data from a single-family residence using autoregressive least squares techniques. The resulting model is especially useful for heat pump system analysis since it also provides quantitative predictions of heat pump capacity and coefficient of performance as a function of outside temperature. The results of this study indicate good agreement between the model predictions and actual experimental data for both the heating and cooling modes. Future research will apply this model to the development of optimal control strategies for residential heat pumps.

Units: Dual