An apparatus for heating water has a tank for storing water and an air conditioning system that defines a refrigerant flow path through which refrigerant flows. The refrigerant flow path passes through a heat exchanger so that refrigerant heat is contributed to the tank. The heat exchanger houses a phase change material. A controller controls operation of the water heating apparatus.

In a split system heat pump cooling and heating system, an auxiliary hot water storage tank is provided as an energy storage bank. Two sets of coils run through this storage tank, a first set carrying hot refrigerant from the heat pump to deposit energy and a second set carrying hot potable water to remove energy. Valve and switch matrixes are operated at the heat pump to provide hot potable water from the energy storage bank during both normal space heating and cooling operations of the heat pump.

In a central air-conditioning system, regional flow balancing valves for controlling flow of water return branch pipes are arranged on the water return branch pipes, and energy balancing valves are arranged on water return pipes of tail-end fan coils respectively. A control method includes: detecting flow in the water return branch pipes, and adjusting the flow in the return branch pipes to be smaller than or equal to a branch pipe set flow value; and detecting the temperature of return water in the water return pipes of the tail-end fan coils, controlling the temperature of the return water in the water return pipes of the tail-end fan coils to be greater than or equal to a tail-end return water set temperature value, detecting the room temperature and adjusting the opening degree of the energy balancing valves in temperature controllers.

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.

Systems and methods for providing hot water to a commercial dishwasher are provided. A first heat exchanger is provided in a first enclosure, and is used to heat water from a cold water source. The heated water is provided to the commercial dishwasher for use. A second heat exchanger is provided in a second enclosure, and is used to collect waste heat from the wastewater of the commercial dishwasher. A refrigerant coil loop passes through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and allows for the use of the waste heat. The first heat exchanger is a condenser provided within a condenser chamber, the condenser connected to a compressor. The second heat exchanger is an evaporator within an evaporator chamber, the evaporator connected to an expansion valve.

A plate heat exchanger can reduce thermal contact between a second fluid (water and a third fluid (low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase refrigerant) to enhance thermal efficiency. A plate heat exchanger (1b) includes a heat transfer plate group (102a) that performs heat exchange between a first fluid of high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant and a second fluid of a heating target fluid; and a heat transfer plate group (102b) that performs heat exchange between a first fluid of low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant and a third fluid of low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase liquid refrigerant. The heat transfer plate group (102a) forms refrigerant channels including a stack of plates, has a configuration that a flow of the first fluid of high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant and a flow of the second fluid are alternately aligned in the refrigerant channels, and causes the second fluid to flow in the outermost refrigerant channel.

Synergistic Energy Ecosystem using a co-generation system and method wherein waste energy from waste heat producers within an enclosure including an electric generator is reclaimed to supply heat to the cold end of a heat pump within the enclosure for optimized use in space heating a habitat and to the management of the distribution of electricity from the generator so as to supply electricity to the habitat and to neighbouring habitats when efficient, cost-effective or required to do so by distribution policies managing the energy eco-system.

A load unit includes a water circuit chamber configured to accommodate at least a part of a water circuit configured to allow water to flow therethrough, a fan, an air inlet formed at a height positioned different from that of the air inlet and configured to suck indoor air therethrough, an air outlet configured to blow indoors the air sucked through the air inlet, and an air passage formed between the air inlet and the air outlet so as to be isolated from the water circuit chamber. A load-side heat exchanger is provided in the air passage.

The present disclosure relates to particle-based thermal energy storage (TES) systems employed for the heating and cooling applications for residential and/or commercial buildings. Particle-based TES systems may store thermal energy in the particles during off-peak times (i.e., when electricity demand and/or costs are relatively low) and remove the stored thermal energy for heating or cooling applications for buildings during peak times (i.e., when electricity demand and/or costs are relatively high).

An energy transfer unit for a geothermal system includes an outer housing. A heat exchanger is located within the housing. An inlet pipe extends from the housing to the heat exchanger to convey heat transfer fluid to the heat exchanger and an outlet pipe extends from the housing to the heat exchanger to convey heat transfer fluid from the heat exchanger.