Energy Supply Systems for

Buildings
Mid-term assessment
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Prof. Dr. L.C.M. Itard

Mid-term assessment (% of final grade: 50%)

Total points: 100

This assessment consists of 18 multiple choice questions.

Question 1: 5 points (0 or 5)

As the result of an energy balance on an energy system you find the following data:

• energy input: 3500 [kWh]

• Useful energy output: 3350 [kWh]

What is the efficiency of the system?

a. 0.96
b. 0.0.04
c. 1.04

Right answer: a. Efficiency is useful output divided by input: 3350/3500=0.96

Question 2: 5 points (0 or 5)

What is the maximum quantity of heat that can be produced by burning 1000 [m3] biogas while
condensing the water contained in the fumes? The lower heating value of biogas is 6.4 [kWh/m3] and
the higher heating value is 7.1 [kWh/m3]

a. 6400 [kWh]
b. 7100 [kWh]
c. 7111 [kWh]

right answer: b; there is condensation of water so you should use the higher heating value. Q=1000x7.1=
7100 [kWh]

Question 3: 5 points (0 or 5)

A producer provides you with the efficiency of biogas boiler. The efficiency is 0.95 on HHV. The CO2-eq
emissions for biogas are estimated to be 0.3 [kg] CO2-eq/[kWh] HHV. The boiler will produces 6000
[kWh] useful heat. What are the CO2-eq emissions?

a. 1620 [kg] CO2-eq

b. 1800 [kg] CO2-eq.

c. 1895 [kg] CO2-eq

Answer c: the primary energy corresponding to 6000 [kWh] heat produced with an efficiency of 0.95 on
HHV is 6000/0.95=6316 [kWh]. So we just need to multiply this by the CO2-eq emissions which leads us
to 0.3x6316=1895 kg CO2-eq

Question 4 (0 or 10)

The electricity mix per kWhe of country A is 55% wind, 24 % biomass, 15% coal, 6 % solar. The CO2-eq
emissions of biomass are 0.2 [kg] CO2-eq per kWh HHV, and the CO2-eq emissions of coal are 0.4 [kg]
CO2-eq per kWh HHV. The efficiency of electricity production in coal and biomass plants is 0.35. What is
the emission factor of country A?

a. 0.11 [kg] CO2-eq/kWhe

b. 0.31 [kg] CO2-eq/kWhe
c. 0.60 [kg] CO2-eq/kWhe

Answer b: the mission factor is the number of kg CO2-eq emitted during the production of 1 kWhe. In
the question the emissions are given per [kWh] HHV, which means that we have to determine first the
primary energy needed to produce 1 [kWh] electricity. Wind and solar have no CO2-emissions, therefore
they are not accounted for. The primary energy from coal is 0.15/0.35=0.43 [kW]; The primary energy
from biomass is 0.24/0.35=0.69

Emission factor = 0.43*0.4+ 0.69*0.2=0.31 [kg] CO2-eq/kWhe

Question 5 (0 or 5)

A room needs a heating capacity of 800 kW. You want to buy an electrical radiator. In the shop you find
diverse radiators with the following electrical nominal powers. Which one should you choose?

a. 890 [W]
b. 800 [W]
c. 720 [W]

Right Answer: b; All electrical power can be released as heat. As the radiator is placed in the room, even
heat losses in the electronics will be beneficial to the room. So the nominal power should be equal to
the heating capacity.
Question 6 (0 or 5)

A house heated by an electrical radiator uses annually 8000 [kWh] electricity. The emission factor of
electricity is 0.31 [kg] CO2-eq. What are the CO2-eq emissions caused by this radiator heating?

a. 2480 [kg] CO2-eq

b. 6200 [kg] CO2-eq
c. 7085 [kg] CO2-eq
d. 25805 [kg] CO2-eq

Answer: a: 8000x0.31 by definition of the emission factor.

Question 7 (0 or 5)

A house with heating annual heating demand 8000 [kWh] is heated by a gas boiler with efficiency 0.9
(on HHV). How much gas is depleted? The higher heating value of gas is 9.8 [kWh/m3].

a. 8889 [m3]
b. 7200 [m3]
c. 907 [m3]
d. 735 [m3]

Answer: c: 8000/0.9 is the primary energy. Divide then by 9.8: 907 [m3].

Question 8 (0 or 10)

You want a new gas boiler for your house. The annual space heating demand is 8000 [kWh]. The annual
hot tap water demand is 2000 [kWh]. The house is equipped with floor heating using the temperature
range 50-30 [oC]. You are buying a condensing boiler with efficiency 0.95 in condensing mode and 0.86
in non-condensing mode. What is the total annual primary energy?

a. 11628 [kWh]
b. 10526 [kWh]
c. 10747 [kWh]
d. 9412 [kWh]
e. 2105 [kWh]

Answer c: 10747l the space heating is low temperature so the condensing mode will work. The
temperature of hot tap water is too high for condensing mode. Total primary energy is therefore
8000.0.95+2000/0.86=10747 [kWh]
Question 9 (0-10 points 1 point per right answer);

Which of these propositions are right (multiple answers):

a. A heat pump and a chiller works according to different principles

b. A heat pump delivers heat and cold
c. A chiller delivers only cold
d. a heat pump pumps heat from low temperature to high temperature
e. In a heat pump the compressor is always electrical
f. A heat pump pumps water from an aquifer
g. A chillers pumps heat from low temperature to high temperature
h. The COP of a heat pump is the evaporator heat divided by the energy input to the compressor
i. The EER of a chiller is the evaporator heat divided by the energy input to the compressor
j. A chiller delivers heat at the condenser side
k. A heat pump delivers heat at the condenser side
l. A chiller delivers heat at the evaporator side
m. A chiller delivers cold at the evaporator side
n. In an absorption chiller heat is delivered in the absorber and the condenser
o. The Carnot COP depends a lot on the temperature difference between the evaporator and the
condenser
p. The Carnot EER is defined as the temperature in the condenser divided by the temperature
difference between the evaporator and the condenser
q. The Carnot efficiency accounts for the fact that the temperature in the evaporator is lower than
the temperature of the heat sink

Right answers b,d,g,I,j,k,m,n,o. A heat pump is exact the same device as a chiller. Only the EER
and COP are defined differently.

Question 10 (5 points)

A producer made measurements on its reversible heat pump. He measured during 1 hour an electricity
input of 5 [kW] at compressor, a heat output of 25 [kW] at the condenser and a heat uptake of 20 [kW]
at the evaporator. What is the EER of the heat pump in cooling mode?

a. 1
b. 4
c. 5
d. 0.25
e. 0.20

Right answer: b. The EER is defined as being the cold delivered a the evaporator (20 [kW]) divided by the
energy needed by the compressor (5 [kW]).
Question 11 (1 good answer: 2 points, 2 good answers 5 points)

A building owner want to apply a heat pump in its building. It has already been decided that the building
will have a central heating system. He wants to choose the most energy efficient combination of
options. Which combination of the following options will lead to the highest SCOP?

a. Radiators using the range 40-60 [oC]

b. Floor heating using the range 30-45 [oC]
c. A ground source heat pump
d. An outdoor air heat pump

Right answers b and c. The SCOP is the highest when the heat sink (condenser side) has the lowest
possible temperature (30-45 degree ,floor heating therefore) and the heat source has the highest one
(ground source therefore)

Question 12 (3 points)
Imagine a house with annual space heating demand 8000 [kWh]. A heat pump is used with a SCOP of 5
Grid electricity is produced with a gas power plant of efficiency 0.4.

What is the electricity use of the heat pump:

a.8000 [kWh]
b.1600 [kWh]
c. 4000 [kWh]

Right answer b: the heat pump needs 8000/4=1600 [kWh] electricity yearly.

Question 13 (3 points)
Imagine a house with annual space heating demand 8000 [kWh]. A heat pump is used with a SCOP of 5
Grid electricity is produced with a gas power plant of efficiency 0.4.

What is the primary energy use of the heat pump:

a.8000 [kWh]
b.1600 [kWh]
c. 4000 [kWh]

Right answer c: the heat pump needs 8000/4=1600 [kWh] electricity yearly. To produce this electricity
1600/0.4= 4000 [kWh] primary energy is needed in the form of gas.
Question 14 (5 points)

Imagine a house with annual cooling demand 8000 [kWh]. A chiller is used with a SEER of 4. Grid
electricity is produced with a power plants of efficiency 0.36. CO2-eq emissions factor of this grid
electricity is 0.4 per kWe. What are the CO-eq emissions relating to the annual cooling demand?

4.9.1 What are the CO2-eq emissions of the chiller:

a. 800 [kg] CO2-eq
b. 2222 [kg] CO2-eq
c. 3200 [kg] CO2-eq

Right answer a: the chiller needs 8000/4=2000 [kWh] electricity yearly. The emission factor is 0.4 kg
CO2-eq/[kWh]e, the CO2 emissions are therefore 2000*0.4 = 800 [kg] CO2-eq

Question 15 (0-3 points. 1 point per right answer)

Which ones of these propositions are correct?

a. Water vaporizes at 100 [oC], it cannot evaporate into room air

b. That water droplets can evaporate into air comes from their low partial pressure
c. That water droplets can evaporate into air comes from their high partial pressure
d. When spraying water droplets into air, the temperature of the air decreases
e. The cooling effect of spraying droplets in very humid air (close to saturation) is much lower than
spraying droplets in dry air.
f. Pump energy for spraying water is high and evaporative cooling is therefore not efficient

answers:

a. No, water vaporizes at 100 [oC] when its (partial) pressure is 1 bar. At lower pressures the
evaporation temperature is lower.
b. Right
c. No. it comes from their low partial pressure
d. Right
e. Right. If the air is already close to saturation, it contains a lot of water vapour and can hardly
take more up.
f. No, pump energy is very low and evaporative cooling is very efficient

Question 16 ( 0 of 5 points)

An architect want to design low-energy buildings using little cooling. She wants to place an earth pipe to
cool the ventilation air during warm periods. On average the outdoor temperature during the hot
season is 33 [oC]. Normally this air is cooled to 25 [oC] by a compression chiller. With an earth pipe of 30
[m] the warm outdoor air can be pre-cooled to 29 [oC]. How much cooling energy will be saved by using
the earth pipe?
 a. 100%
b. 50%
c. 35%
d. 25%

Right answer b: the compression chiller must normally cool the air from 33 to 25, which is a temperature
difference of 8 degrees. If the air pre-cooled to 29, the chiller needs only to cover a temperature
difference of 4 K. The savings are therefore 50%

Question 17 (0-6 points, 2 points per right answer)

An engineer wants to design an ATES system for a large office building in a moderate climate. The
annual cooling demand is 200 [MWh], the annual heating demand is 800 [MWh] too. For the heating a
heat pump with SCOP 8 is coupled to the warm well. The cooling comes solely from the cold well. All
heat exchangers are assumed to be perfect and there are no losses in pipes. Which ones of these
propositions is right?

a. 200 [MWh] heat is loaded at the warm well

b. 100 [MWh] heat is loaded at the warm well
c. 700 [MWh] heat is load at the warm well
d. 800 [MWh] cold is loaded at the cold well
e. 700 [MWh] cold is loaded at the cold well
f. 200 [MWh] cold is loaded at the cold well
g. To balance the ground additional cold should be loaded (e.g. by using an additional heat
exchanger with cold outdoor air in winter) or the heating demand should be reduced
h. To balance the ground additional heat should be loaded (e.g. by using additional heat
exchanger coupled to a solar boiler) or the heating demand should be reduced

Right answers a,e, h

Elaboration:
-the cooling comes solely from the cold well, so 200 [MWh] is transferred annually from the cold well to
the warm well: 200 [MWh] heat is loaded in the warm well. (answer a). This is what happens in the left
side of slide 7.
-The annual heating demand is 800 [MWh] and is produced by a heat pump coupled the warm well. The
800 [MWh] are delivered at the condenser side of the heat pump. The warm well is the heat source of
the heat pump, this is therefore the evaporator side. How much heat is needed at the evaporator side?
-The SCOP is 8, therefore 1 [kWh] electricity at the compressor delivers 8 [kWh] heat at the
condenser and needs 7 [kWh] heat at the evaporator (energy balance 1+7=8, see also video on
heat pumps). The evaporator needs therefore to deliver 800x7/8=700 [MWh]
- Therefore 700 [MWh] heat is taken from the warm well and transferred to the cold well. This is
what happens in the right side of slide 7) (answer e)
- There is therefore to less heat loaded in the warm well (200 instead of 700 [MWh]) and this must be
compensated by loading more heat. (answer h).
Question 18 (o or 5, 5 points)

A deep geothermal systems delivers yearly 50000 [MWh] heat at 60 [oC]. The average heating demand
of a house is a new built district equipped with floor heating is 10000 [kWh]. How many houses can be
heated?

a. 5
b. 500
c. 5000
d. 50000

right answer c: 10000[kWh] is the same as 10 [MWh], so the number of houses is 50000/10=50000.