A dual heating unit water heating system and method including both an AC heating unit and a DC heating unit installed in a common water heating tank. The system may enable solar power to be integrated into a standard storage heating unit without the need for additional access piping. The AC heating unit includes an AC heating element, and an AC thermostat operable to deactivate the AC heating element when water contained within the water tank exceeds a first threshold temperature. The DC heating unit includes a DC heating element, and a DC thermostat operable to deactivate the DC heating element when water contained within the water tank exceeds a second threshold temperature. The DC power source may be solar panel having an array of photovoltaic cells.

A building-integrated solar energy system that concurrently provides space heating, space cooling, hot water, and electricity to commercial and residential buildings. The solar energy system comprises an evacuated closed-loop conduit network circulating a working fluid through a solar thermal collector and at least one heat usage device, wherein the effective entirety of the surfaces of the closed-loop conduit network are in contact with the working fluid such that phase change occurs whenever heat energy is added by the solar thermal collector or removed by a heat usage device. The solar energy system further comprises an impermeable outer housing enveloping the closed-loop conduit network and forming an evacuated space located between and defined by the outer surface of the closed-loop conduit network and the inner surface of the impermeable housing such that the working fluid is adiabatically isolated. As a result, the full surface contact and low-pressure isolation of the working fluid dramatically reduces temperature differentials and energy losses, allowing for highly efficient and cost-effective heat collection and distribution.

A water heater control system includes: a photovoltaic power generator interconnected with a commercial power supply, an electrical load circuit including a storage-type electric water heater using power from the commercial power supply and generated power of the photovoltaic power generator to perform a water heating operation of heating low temperature water to high temperature water and storing the high temperature water, and a HEMS controller limiting a water heating operation of the storage-type electric water heater by stopping or suppressing the water heating operation of the storage-type electric water heater when a power fee data for purchased power supplied to the electrical load circuit from the commercial power supply exceeds a standard monetary amount.

Disclosed is a method of mapping an in-building water supply installation having multiple controllable water outlets, the installation including a supply of water; in a water flow path between the supply of water and the controllable water outlets, a flow measurement device and a flow regulator; a processor being operatively connected to the flow measurement device and the at least one flow regulator. The method comprises opening a first of the water outlets and processing signals from the flow measurement device with the processor at least until a first flow characteristic is determined; closing the first of the water outlets; repeating the opening, processing and closing operations for each of the other water outlets to determine for each controllable water outlet a respective flow characteristic. Subsequently the processor is configured to; identify the opening of a particular one of the plurality of controllable water outlets based on the similarity of a detected flow characteristic to a respective flow characteristic; and control said at least one flow regulator, based on the identification, to control a supply of water to the identified controllable water outlet.

The present disclosure discloses a heating system coupling a passive phase change energy storage sunlight room with an air source heat pump. The heating system includes a passive phase change energy storage sunlight room (7), phase change heat storage units, a to-be-heated room (8), and an air source heat pump air heater arranged between the passive phase change energy storage sunlight room (7) and the to-be-heated room (8), wherein each phase change heat storage unit (11) consists of a plurality of phase change heat storage modules (1). An opening in the front part of each phase change heat storage module faces an interior of the passive phase change energy storage sunlight room, and the phase change heat storage modules located on the top are spliced transversely, and the vent in the top of each phase change heat storage module is connected with the ventilation port of the room.

Provided is a method of disinfecting a hot water supply system having a plurality of controllable hot-water outlets and a water heating arrangement including an energy store comprising a phase change material that has a phase transition temperature of less than 60 Celsius, the method comprising: informing an operator of a future disinfection event; increasing a hot water supply temperature from a pre-event temperature of less than 60 Celsius to a disinfection temperature; providing a signal to the operator to cause the operator to open a first of the hot water outlets; providing a signal to the operator to close the first outlet after a disinfection period; providing a signal to the operator to open another hot water outlet; providing a signal to the operator to close the another hot water outlet after a disinfection period; and repeating the signalling to the operator to open and then, after a disinfection period, to close each of the plurality of controllable hot-water outlets; reducing the hot water supply temperature to the pre-event temperature of less than 60 Celsius from the disinfection temperature; and indicating to the operator the completion of the disinfection event. A corresponding hot water supply system is also provided, the system preferably including a heat pump.

A system for regulating a building energy supply and distribution installation, the installation including items of energy collection equipment, each of which is in an energy transfer relationship with a respective source; items of energy transformation equipment powered by the collection equipment; items of energy using equipment; the regulation system configured for defining, for the items of equipment, different respective activation states chosen according to parameters, for optimizing with regard to criteria. The system implements a method in the installation, with the following steps: regulation is performed by placing the items of equipment in respective activation states chosen according to demand and parameters, for the purpose of optimizing with regard to criteria; at an intervention instant of regulation, regulation takes forecasts relating to at least one of the parameters into account, the forecasts relating to a period after the intervention instant. A related installation includes the regulation system.