A system for air-conditioning and hot-water supply selectively performs cooling and heating operations. The system includes: an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; indoor units each of which is connected to the outdoor unit and includes an indoor heat exchanger; a hot-water supply unit connected to the outdoor unit and arranged in parallel to the indoor units and including a refrigerant-water heat exchanger; and a controller monitoring an occurrence of a hot water request for hot-water supply from the hot-water supply unit during the cooling operation performed at at least one of the indoor units, and then to start the heating operation in accordance with the hot-water request. The controller also monitors an occurrence of an indoor-unit request from any one of the indoor units and resumes the cooling operation where the request is an increase request for an increase of load of the cooling operation.

A heating installation comprising: a first circuit (C1); a second circuit (C2); a first heat pump (4) for heating the medium in the first circuit; a heat exchanger (10) which is arranged in the second circuit and connected between a condenser (4b) and an expansion valve (4d) of the first heat pump; a second heat pump (11) arranged for heating a medium by absorbing heat energy from the medium in the second circuit; and a first and a second accumulator tank (A1, A2) arranged in series in the second circuit for accumulating the medium in the second circuit. The accumulator tanks are alternately connectable to the second heat pump in order to allow medium to circulate between the first accumulator tank and the evaporator of the second heat pump in a first operating situation and allow medium to circulate between the second accumulator tank and the evaporator of the second heat pump in a second operating situation.

There is herein described energy storage systems. More particularly, there is herein described thermal energy storage systems and use of energy storable material such as phase change material in the provision of heating and/or cooling systems in, for example, domestic dwellings.

A latent heat storage system includes at least one latent heat storage device which contains a storage medium with latent heat, at least one heat pump coupled to the latent heat storage device, at least one extraction circuit which has a first heat carrier medium and with which, during normal operation, in accordance with the intended purpose, heat can be extracted from the storage medium and supplied to the heat pump on the input side, and an extraction heat exchanger which is in contact with the storage medium, wherein the extraction heat exchanger is connected to the extraction circuit. Between the extraction heat exchanger and the heat pump, a coupling device is arranged in a connection line, which at least temporarily supplies a second heat carrier medium, which can be heated by at least one heat source, into a section of the connection line. A method for operating a latent heat storage system is also provided.

The present disclosure discloses a heating adjustment method and device, which belongs to the field of thermal system management technologies. The method includes: calculating an average indoor temperature of a cell, wherein the average indoor temperature of the cell is an average value of a real-time indoor temperature of each dwelling unit in the cell; judging whether the average indoor temperature is within a standard temperature range; and adjusting at least one of a water pump flow and a water temperature supplied to the cell when the average indoor temperature is not within the standard temperature range. When the average indoor temperature of the current cell is abnormal, the temperature of the cell is restored to a standard value by adjusting the water pump flow and the water temperature for heating, thus the response speed is fast, the reliability is high, the user experience is improved and energy is saved.

Systems and methods are disclosed for exchanging thermal energy between a drain liquid and a source liquid for heating or cooling of the source liquid. One method for heating a source liquid may involve transferring heat from a drain liquid using a heat pump. A system may include a refrigerant, a source liquid and a drain liquid, two or more heat exchangers that facilitate an exchange of thermal energy, and a means for transporting the refrigerant.

A method of heating water in a water storage tank. The method includes: selecting an outlet port and an inlet port from at least three ports located in the tank at different heights along a vertical direction. The outlet port is below the inlet port. The method further includes extracting water from the outlet port, supplying the extracted water to an external heat exchanger configured for heating the extracted water, and delivering heated water from the heat exchanger to the selected inlet port.

A heat pump system includes a first unit; a second unit connected to a first flow path of the first unit; and a third unit connected to a second flow path of the first unit and connected to the second unit. The heat pump system can operate in a cooling and water heating mode and a heating and water heating mode, wherein, in the cooling and water heating mode, the heat pump system is configured to switch a switching assembly to a first position and connect the at least one first heat exchangers and the second heat exchanger in series; in the heating and water heating mode, the heat pump system is configured to switch the switching assembly to a second position and connect the second heat exchanger and the at least one third heat exchangers in parallel.

Provided is a heating installation including an energy store including a latent heat energy storage medium, and a heat pump having a defrost cycle, the heating installation including a hot water supply system arranged to supply instantaneous heated water and space heating to a building, and a processor to control the installation. The processor being configured to: control the supply of heat from the heat pump to the latent heat energy storage medium to store heat for heating water and to a heating circuit for providing space heating; and estimate a likelihood of a defrost cycle by the heat pump. In anticipation of an impending defrost cycle, the processor further being configured to control operation of the installation to store additional energy by at least one of: heating the latent heat energy storage medium to a higher level than a level set for anticipated water heating demand alone and/or heating the building and/or circulating heating fluid of the installation to a higher level than a level set for desired building heating; to compensate for an absence of heat from the heat pump during the impending defrost cycle.

Disclosed is a system for the production of hot or cold water including: a water reservoir suitable for supplying water to a thermal conditioning device, and/or to a tap; a refrigeration unit having heat exchangers, of which one of the two heat exchanger is immersed in a water receptacle; pipes providing communication between the water reservoir, the water receptacle, a water network, the tap and thermal conditioning devices. The system further includes a box body containing the refrigeration unit and a ventilation mechanism configured to generate an airflow passing through the heat exchangers of the refrigerating unit.