Integrated systems consisting of heat pumps and storage are an important technological option to accelerate the use of renewable energy for heating and cooling. By combining heat pumps and storage, several issues may be tackled, such as:

• Balancing & controlling electricity grid loads;
• Capturing a larg(er) share of renewable (local/regional) input (i.e. solar thermal, solar PV);
• Optimizing economics, CO2-emissions, fuel use throughout time;
• Providing optimal supply security to buildings.

Commercial development of this type of solution is progressing very slowly. This Combined Annex will accelerate market development of combined heat pump / storage packages (working title “Comfort and Climate Box”, or CCB). This will be the first Annex to integrate the work from the HPT and ECES Technology Collaboration Programs (TCP), building upon the earlier work in the fields of Heat Pumps and Storage systems.