| Abstract: | This techno‐economic feasibility study was performed to evaluate the viability of central electric thermal storage (ETS) systems for the residential sector. Numerical models have been used to study the effect of a number of parameters on the annual heating cost and unit storage capacity. The considered parameters were the type of central ETS heating system, the proposed rate electricity structure and the storage strategy. The viability of thermal storage systems is determined using a simple payback criteria. The results show that the implementation of thermal storage in the Montreal area is economically viable only if hourly based differential rates are in effect. Simple rules for the design of central ETS heating units were also developed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
