Finding human behavioural in heat pump power usage: Using Fourier Transform Analysis

Abstract

Due to the increasing environmental challenges brought about by climate change, the Netherlands is transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy. As part of this transition, the country aims to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency, particularly in the housing sector. Hybrid heat pumps have been identified as a potential solution. However, further investigation is needed to assess the performance of hybrid heat pumps and their suitability for different homes. Currently, the Inversable Demo Project Hybrid is being conducted in the Netherlands to provide insights to the Dutch government regarding the investment in hybrid heat pumps and the potential for their wider adoption in the future. This thesis focuses on analysing energy usage across houses and exploring potential societal or human behavioural patterns to improve the prediction and understanding of heat pump power usage. Fourier transform was utilized in conjunction with linear regression to reveal hidden frequent patterns in heat pump power usage, with the objective of exploring their relationship with indoor and outdoor temperatures and the possibility to find a general pattern for heat pump power usage. Although some indications of recurrent patterns were observed, conclusive and definitive evidence of societal or human behavioural patterns could not be established. Further investigation is needed to validate these findings and explore the effects of behavioural differences on hybrid heat pump performance.