Techno-economic evaluation of using ice storage systems based on the new requirements of the draft of the fourth edition of the National Building Regulations, Article 19

Abstract

Due to the significant share of cooling loads in the peak of electricity consumption and its increasing trend in recent years (up to about 40% of the peak of electricity demand), the draft of the new edition of the National Building Regulations (Article 19) enforces several requirements for managing these loads. One of these requirements is the use of ice storage systems in buildings with high cooling loads. In order to evaluate techno-economic aspects of the implementation of these requirements, the cooling load of a pilot building with educational use in Ahvaz was simulated by Carrier HAP software, and based on two different storage strategies (i.e. full and partial storage), technical operation and necessary economic investment were analyzed. The payback period of the surplus capital required for the implementation of storage systems was determined with respect to the saving potential in electricity costs. It was determined that the economic burden of these requirements is a function of the storage strategy, building function and climate. Accordingly, in the considered building, while the use of partial storage is quite economical, the return on investment for a full storage system will be more than 50 years. The results of examining different scenarios and possible base electricity tariffs showed that a fivefold increase in the tariff will reduce the payback period to about 10 years.

Keywords

• cooling loads
• cold energy storage
• ice energy storage
• building regulations
• article 19
• carrier hap