Reducing Air Pollution in Rural Areas with Hybrid Heat Pump Supported by Biomass Boiler

Abstract

The widespread deployment of low-carbon technologies in households is increasing the need to reduce peak electricity demand on distribution grids. Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) are efficient heating units, but their performance declines at low ambient temperatures, increasing winter peak demand. In rural areas, limited grid capacity can constrain their use as a sole heating source, while biomass remains widely used for space heating and contributes to fine particulate matter (PM10) emissions. Unfavourable winter conditions can further increase local pollutant concentrations. This study investigates the potential operating cost savings and PM10 emission reductions when using a biomass-assisted hybrid heat pump (HHP) operating in bivalent mode, while also evaluating GHG emissions relative to a monovalent ASHP, providing a combined assessment not previously applied to biomass-assisted hybrid heat pumps. A validated simulation model was developed to determine the optimal switching temperature using hourly temperature data from 23 locations across Slovenia. The results were interpolated nationally and visualised using GIS tools. The findings indicate that annual cost savings can reach up to 10% and PM10 emission reductions can reach up to 20 kg for a single-family building in colder, mountainous regions.