Linear model predictive control for the reduction of auxiliary electric heating in residential self-assisted ground-source heat pump systems

This article presents a linear model predictive control strategy for the operation of a “self-assisted” ground-source heat pump (GSHP) to reduce auxiliary electric heating in residential applications equipped with undersized boreholes. The self-assisted configuration uses an electric heating element at the heat-pump outlet to inject heat into the bore field when approaching peak power demand. A linear control-oriented model is proposed to...