Levelised cost of heating of residential heat pumps and alternatives in cold and severe cold climates in Chinese urban areas

Sources

IEA analysis based on data from Energy Foundation, Tsinghua University (2022), Rural Clean Energy System Helps Reduce Pollution, Reduce Carbon and Revitalize Rural Areas (https://www.efchina.org/Attachments/Report/report-cemp-20220512/%E5%86%9C%E6%9D%91%E6%B8%85%E6%B4%81%E7%94%A8%E8%83%BD%E4%BD%93%E7%B3%BB%E5%8A%A9%E5%8A%9B%E5%87%8F%E6%B1%A1%E9%99%8D%E7%A2%B3%E4%B9%A1%E6%9D%91%E6%8C%AF%E5%85%B4.pdf), accessed 13 March 2024.

Notes

Notes: Air‐air = air‐to‐air heat pump; Air‐water = air‐to‐water heat pump; Elec. heat = electric resistance heater; Dist. heat = District heating; Air‐water&air = air-to-water heat pump with blowers. The levelised cost of heating estimates the average cost of providing 1 GJ of heating over the lifetime of the equipment, considering the capital cost of the equipment and installation; operating expenditures include the cost of fuel and regular maintenance. A lifetime of 17 years is assumed for gas boilers, 15 years for air‐to‐air and 18 years for air‐to‐water heat pumps. Electric resistance heaters and air conditioners are assumed to have a lifetime of 10 years. District heating is assumed to have a lifetime of 25 years, with no upfront cost nor maintenance cost.