Measures to Automate the Modernisation of Multi-Family Houses Using Environmentally Friendly Heat Pump Technologies

In existing multi-family homes, complex technology, heterogeneous data and a lack of standardised solutions present a hurdle to the decarbonisation using heat pumps. In the "MAMMUT" project, Fraunhofer ISE is working with project partners and an expert group of various HVAC companies to develop a system configurator for the retrofitting of multi-family homes. It captures the building condition and customer requirements, proposes suitable conversion options and thus supports consultation, planning and quotation preparation. This is intended to significantly facilitate the transition from fossil fuel heating systems to heat pumps.

Initial Situation

Over 40% of residential floor space in Germany is in multi-family buildings, the majority of which are still heated using fossil fuels today. For the heat transition, it is essential to facilitate the switch to heat pumps in multi-family homes and thus accelerate the reduction of GHG emissions in the building sector. However, currently there is a lack of standardised solutions for existing multi-family buildings tailored to the specific boundary conditions.

Challenges arise from factors such as the greater space required by heat pumps compared to fossil fuel heating systems, the more complex hydraulics (including hydraulic balancing), as well as the high temperature requirements for drinking water hygiene and the access to low temperature ambient sources. Furthermore, there are interactions with other craft sectors, particularly in the electrical sector, where the integration of photovoltaic systems, battery storage and charging points is important and where bottlenecks in the existing design and connected load must also be taken into account.

Objective

The aim of the project is to accelerate the conversion of existing multi-family homes to heat pumps and thereby contribute to reducing GHG emissions in the building sector. At its core is the development of a system configurator that easily captures existing building data and customer requirements, suggests suitable conversion options, and outlines technical requirements as well as investment and operating costs. Standardised, database-supported solutions and automated decision trees simplify consultation, design, quotation preparation and planning for HVAC companies and planners, thereby reducing barriers to switching from fossil fuel heating systems to heat pumps in the existing multi-family housing stock.

Approach

With this objective, information on typical retrofit processes is systematically collected from manufacturers and HVAC companies. It is then supplemented by additional data sources, such as simulation-based energy assessments and cost breakdowns by cost category for the retrofit process. Based on this, flowcharts are generated and decision trees are developed that document the retrofit paths using rules-based logic. These are implemented as software in a system configurator, which, based on common data models, also enables integration with digital product data.

Results

The aim is to develop an intelligent solution finder that significantly simplifies the decision-making process for the retrofitting of blocks of flats. In addition, it is intended to offer the option of integrating digital product data, thereby speeding up the quotation process for HVAC contractors.

The “MAMMUT” project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE; grant no.: 03EN1121A) and managed by the Jülich Project Management Organisation.