EEA Research Programme

Project name: ADVANCED DUAL-SYSTEM FOR BUILDING HEATING OPTIMIZATION

USING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES DUAL-HEATING
Programme: Joint Research Project - EEA 2013
Priority: Renewable energy
Romanian partners:
Project Promoter (PP): University Valahia of Tagoviste (UVT), - academic organization
Principal Investigator (PI): Prof. Horia ANDREI, PhD
Project Partner (PrPa): National Institute for R&D in Informatics, Bucharest (ICI)- research
organization, ICPE-Electrical Engineering (ICPE- EE), Bucharest (ICI)- SME.
Estimated project budget: 850.000 EUR

Executive Summary of the Proposal: The stabilization of greenhouse gases concentration in

the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system is the overall objective of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate
Change, which is approved in the name of EU by Council Decision 94/69/EC (3) OJ L 33. By
analyzing the reports and the facts, EU climate policies should focus on reducing the fossil CO 2
emissions from industry, transport and residential sector, and also EU policies have undertaken
actions to achieve Kyoto targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions with 30% until 2020. On
the other hand, the present and perspective of worldwide energy policies are characterized by
liberalization of prices and by the extensive use of renewable energy sources. In this respect each
country or region has different unitary prices for conventional energy sources (gas, electricity,
oil) and for renewable energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, heat pumps, biomass e.a.). All
this information constitutes a large database that can be used effectively, especially for
consumers. One of the most important uses of energy is for building (houses, industrials, offices,
commercials) heating, in which also includes the domestic hot water production. Typically the
heating systems use as primary source of energy gas, electricity or oil, and lately have developed
heating systems using renewable energy sources (geothermal power, wood, solar or wind energy,
biomass, and heat pump).
Considering these issues, the first goal of Dual-Heating project is to develop an original
algorithm based on neural networks in order to offer a modern solution for the optimal choice of
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the primary source of energy for every new user of heating systems. The selection criteria which
will lead to the final ranking of conventional and renewable primary energy sources will take
into account: the unit prices in each region and their prediction over a few years, the availability
of conventional energy networks (gas, electricity, oil) and the availability and efficiency of
renewable sources (wind, solar, wood, geothermal, biomass, heat pump) in the region, prices of
heating systems, financial possibilities of new users e.a.

The second original contribution of the project refers to the design, interconnection and advanced
control of two heating systems - among which one mandatory uses a renewable energy source that operate to the same heating elements (radiators, under floor). The heating systems are
chosen by the algorithm above, thus there may be the probability that two heating systems which
use renewable energy sources can be interconnected. Optimizing the heating systems efficiency
and heating costs decrease are made by advanced control methods and models incorporated into
an innovative PLC, that take into account parameters such as: on-line temperature measurements
in every room and outside, the energy characteristics and efficiency of each system, current unit
price of primary energy sources and / or change its, financial possibilities of the user e.a. For a
new user the implementation of the proposed project involves the purchase of two heating
systems on the market, at least one of them using renewable energy, one system of heating
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elements (radiators for example), the PLC with interconnection and control equipments. If the
user already has a heating system, then he will purchase only one system, possibly functioning
on renewable energy, and the PLC and their equipments.
The use of renewable energy as primary source of heating system leads to promote the clean
energy technologies, the environmental protection measures and the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions. Also using two primary energy sources for heating systems confers independence and
safety for consumer, and the opportunity to reduce the costs. From this point of view DualHeating is a solution to the problems of social and economic interests.