Analysis and Modeling of Campus Electric Water Heater Energy Consumption

Abstract

The popularity of higher education in China has significantly increased campus energy consumption. The main energy consumption is students’ use of electric water heaters (EWH)to heat household water on campuses. Analyzing and modeling students’ hot water use behavior will greatly help the research of campus water-saving and energy-saving strategies. Based on the measured data of a university in China, this study investigated the variation of students’ hot water use behavior varies by season, day of the week, time of year, and built a shower model. This study aims to determine the optimal heating strategy by using the CPLEX solver and considering the hot water supply mode of central heating distributed to each dormitory. This strategy increases consumer comfort while lowering electricity purchasing expenses for service providers.