Evaluation of energy savings by heat recovery from refrigeration plants in supermarkets

Shopping malls and supermarkets are among the most energy-intensive commercial buildings, due to both refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Interest is therefore growing for new solutions towards the reduction of both the energy requirement and the environmental impact. Various solutions can be envisaged, and integration between the two systems can lead to a significant heat recovery. In this paper a predictive model is presented, for the estimation of the primary energy requirement of a traditional hydronic and a Water Loop Heat Pump system for air conditioning, with heat recovery from the commercial refrigeration plant. The model is based on the software Energy Plus for the estimation of thermal loads in the building, and on a spreadsheet for the calculation of all energy fluxes. As an example, the model is applied to the choice of the best solution for a portion of a shopping mall located in Northern Italy.