Communication and data exchange concept between district heating supplier – building owner – tenant
Client PtJ: Projektträger Jülich, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action(BMWK)
Duration July 2024 – June 2027
Background
A holistic optimization of district heating supply areas offers high potential through, among other things, the feed-in of renewable energies, grid expansion, energy savings and cost reduction as well as the reduction of CO2 emissions. The project consortium, consisting of Fraunhofer IOSB, KT-Elektronik GmbH, SEnerCon GmbH and IREES, is therefore researching possible optimization potential: In the recently completed ML4Heat project, Fraunhofer IOSB and KT-Elektronik have developed digital tools that enable the monitoring and optimization of district heating networks on several levels: from fault detection in individual systems (district heating transfer stations) to the detection of heat losses in strings and the optimized, demand-oriented specification of power plant flow temperatures. An analysis of several district heating networks has shown that the 5% worst transfer stations cause an extreme increase in pump output and thus pump power consumption. Other projects have also shown that district heating network tools alone cannot exploit the possible energy saving potential and have identified individual large consumers in a district heating plant where there were serious deficiencies in connections or control technology.
Communication and data exchange between district heating suppliers on the one hand and heat consumers on the other must therefore be significantly intensified. In addition to the implementation of technical optimization potential, including building optimization, social barriers in the area of conflict between suppliers, building owners and tenants must be overcome. In some cases, there are conflicting goals that are difficult to resolve, e.g. in the course of reducing excessive connected loads.
Goals and Results
The overall project aims to develop a digital information hub for the district heating market. This information hub shall promote the exchange of data between network operators, building owners and tenants and create added value for everyone involved. A user-centered communication approach is being developed to focus on cost reductions and environmentally friendly heat supply. Data should strengthen mutual trust and optimized measures should be socially accepted. An open approach is taken to enable the exchange and intersection of data. The project is being examined as an example in three districts in Berlin-Neukölln, Bonn and Cologne. IREES develops the communication concept with the help of actor analyses, surveys, focus groups and workshops. The perspectives, networks, motives, conflicts and obstacles of the actors are recorded. Potential for successful communication is identified and projects at building and district level are analyzed. Different implementation models in different cities are being explored. In focus group discussions, the needs and concerns of the actors are examined and solutions are developed together. Individual interviews with district heating suppliers complement the experiences. The communication concept is being tested in practice in the use case districts. A catalog of use cases is created to run through possible scenarios with regard to communication processes for data exchange and to provide implementation recommendations.
