Impact of outdoor units of heat pumps and air conditioning equipment on ambient air
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33038/jcegi.7315Keywords:
outdoor unit, fan, air quality, particulate matter (PM)Abstract
Heat pumps (HPs) and air conditioning (AC) systems have become key technologies in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Their efficiency and comfort-related benefits have been widely studied; however, the environmental impact of their outdoor units—particularly their effects on ambient air quality—has received less attention. The fans of outdoor units generate local airflows that can influence both temperature distribution and the concentration of air pollutants, primarily particulate matter (PM). We conducted long-term observations of air quality on balconies connected to dormitory rooms, focusing mainly on PM concentration. In cases where the outdoor unit of the air conditioner was installed on the balcony, a measurable “cleaning effect” was observed. Depending on the operating mode of the unit, its impact on the ambient temperature was also detectable.
References
ASKARI, A. – CHAN, A.W.H. (2025): Volatile organic compound emissions from a multi-unit residential building to ambient air Environental Sciences: Processes Impacts, 2025, 27, 1714–1730 https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EM00689E
BRUGGER, K. – SCHMIDT, A.E. – DELCOUR, J. (2022): Krankenhausaufenthalte im direkten Zusammenhang mit Hitze und Sonnenlicht in Österreich (2002–2020). Factsheet. 8p. https://jasmin.goeg.at/id/eprint/2279/
CRALL, J.D. – CHANG, J.J. – OPPENHEIMER, R.L. – COMBES, S.A. (2017): Foraging in an unsteady world: Bumblebee flight performance in field-realistic turbulence. Interface Focus, 7(1), 20160086. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2016.0086
DUQUETTE, C.A. – LOSS, S.R. – HOVICK, T.J. (2021): A meta‐analysis of the influence of anthropogenic noise on terrestrial wildlife communication strategies. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(6), 1112–1121. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13880
EUROPEAN HEAT PUMP ASSOCIATION (EHPA) (2023): Heat Pumps in Europe - Key Facts & Figures. 61p. https://www.ehpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/November-2023_HP-Key-Facts_compressed.pdf
EUROPEAN HEAT PUMP ASSOCIATION (EHPA) (2024): European Heat Pump Market and Statistics Report 2024, 16p. https://www.ehpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Executive-summary_EHPA-heat-pump-market-and-statistic-report-2024-2.pdf
GÁL, T. – SKARBIT, N. – UNGER, J. (2016): Urban heat island pa tterns and their dynamics based on an urbanclimate measurement network Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 65 (2) 105–116. http://doi.org/10.15201/hungeobull.65.2.2
HANSEN, D. – HILGENHÖNER, M. – BENNER, D. – POPP, W. (2008): Influence of air cooling units on air quality – A pilot project, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 211, (3–4), 258–262, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2007.06.009
HERMANUCZ P. – HOLLÓ G., (2024): Módszertan hőszivattyú kültéri egységének hőmérsékleti viszonyainak mérésére Journal of Central European Green Innovation 12 (1–2). 101–109. https://doi.org/10.33038/jcegi.6370
HERMANUCZ, P. (2022): A hűtőközeg váltás hatása a hőszivattyú energetikai jellemzőire Journal of Central European Green Innovation 10: Suppl 1. 123–134. https://doi.org/10.33038/jcegi.3505
HERMANUCZ, P. – BENÉCS, J. – BARÓTFI, I. (2022): Levegő hőforrású hőszivattyú leolvasztási ciklusának energetikai vizsgálata Magyar Épületgépészet 1-2. 7–12.
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA) (2024): World Energy Outlook 2024: Cooling drives electricity demand, especially in developing countries. https://iifiir.org/en/news/world-energy-outlook-2024-cooling-drives-electricity-demand-especially-in-developing-countries
JIN, L. – SCHUBERT, S. – HEFNY SALIM, M. – SCHNEIDER, C. (2020): Impact of Air Conditioning Systems on the Outdoor Thermal Environment during Summer in Berlin, Germany. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134645
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE (JRC) (2023): Hungary: Status of the Heat Pump Market. https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC137131/JRC137131_013.pdf
MAHFOUZ, M.M. – YIGITERHAN, O. – ELNAIEM, A.E. – HASSAN, H.M. – ALFOLDY, B. (2019): Elemental compositions of particulate matter retained on air condition unit’s filters at Greater Doha, Qatar. Environ Geochem Health 41, 2533–2548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00304-8
MANGIN, T. – BARRETT, Z. – PALMER, Z. – TANG, D. – NIELSON, S. – SLEETH, D. – KELLY, K. (2025): Understanding the effect of outdoor pollution episodes and HVAC type on indoor air quality, Building and Environment, 278, 112978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112978
MEYER, D. – SCHOETTER, R. – van REEUWIJK, M. (2024): Energy and environmental impacts of air-to-air heat pumps in a mid-latitude city. Nat Commun 15, 5474. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49836-3
NIRANJAN, A. (2025): Heat pump sales in Europe fall 23% to pre-Ukraine war levels The Guardian. (2025, February 18). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/18/heat-pump-sales-in-europe-fall-23-to-pre-ukraine-war-levels
ÖSTERREICHER, D. – SATTLER, S. (2018): Maintaining Comfortable Summertime Indoor Temperatures by Means of Passive Design Measures to Mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect—A Sensitivity Analysis for Residential Buildings in the City of Vienna. Urban Science, 2(3), 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci2030066
PARK, S.M. – RYU, S.Y. – CHEONG, C. – KIM, J.W. – PARK, B.I. – AHN, Y.C. – OH, S.K. (2019): Optimization of the Orifice Shape of Cooling Fan Units for High Flow Rate and Low-Level Noise in Outdoor Air Conditioning Units. Applied Sciences, 9(23), 5207. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235207
PEI, J. – SUN, L. (2023). Odor from Building Air Conditioners: Emission Characteristics, Odor Compounds and Influencing Factors. Sustainability, 15(2), 1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021495
PONGRÁCZ, R. – BARTHOLY, J. – DEZSŐ, ZS. – LELOVICS, E. (2009): Urban Heat Island Effect of Large Central European Cities Using Satellite Measurements of Surface Temperature. In: The 89th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting: 8th Symposium on the Urban Environment. 11–15.
RATHNAYAKE, D. – MUN, H.S. – DILAWAR, M.A. – CHUNG, I.B. – PARK, K.W. – LEE, S.R. – YANG, C.J. (2021): Effect of Air Heat Pump Cooling System as a Greener Energy Source on the Air Quality, Housing Environment and Growth Performance in Pig House. Atmosphere, 12(11), 1474. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111474
SAADI, H. – HERMANUCZ, P. (2022): Penetration and environmental impact of heat pump systems in Europe Mechanical Engineering Letters 23, 145–156.
SAADI, H. – KORZENSZKY, P. – HERMANUCZ, P. (2022): Optimizing cooling efficiency: A statistical comparison of modified PVT and conventional PV panels under variable water flow rates Mechanical Engineering Letters 26. 26–38.
SALAMANCA, F. – GEORGESCU, M. – MAHALOV, A. – MOUSTAOUI, M. – WANG, M. (2014): Anthropogenic heating of the urban environment due to air conditioning. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 119(10), 5949–5965. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD021225
VUCKOVIC, M. – MALEKI, A. – KIESEL, K. – MAHDAVI, A. (2015): Simulation-Based Assessment of UHI Mitigation Measures in Central European Cities. SIMULATION. 8p. 14th International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association, 8p. BS2015, Hyderabad, India, December 7–9, 2015
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) (2018): Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region. 181p. https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/f53c45ba-11d3-4502-a424-c1cf49f5a053/content
ZHANG, X. – HU, Y. – GENG, S. – HU, Q. – WANG, H. (2020): Research on noise reduction scheme of heat pump unit in a square. Journal of Chemistry, 2020, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1237034
ZHAO, B. – ZHANG, Y. – LI, X. – YANG, X. – HUANG, D. (2004): Comparison of indoor aerosol particle concentration and deposition in different ventilated rooms. Atmospheric Environment, 39(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2003.08.002
ZHONG, X. – ZHANG, Z. – ZHANG, R. – WU, Z. (2023): Combined Effects of Exterior Shading and A/C Heat Rejection on Building Energy Consumption and Indoor Air Pollution Exposure. Buildings, 13(10), 2440. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102440
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Central European Green Innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
