Page 21 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2017 publication

Winter 2017 European Energy Innovation 21

COMMUNICATION

Filling in the blanks and saving
Euros with smart meter data

By Steen Schelle Jensen, Head of Product Management, Kamstrup

Linking frequent smart heat meter data with facts temperatures in all parts of the network and accurately map
about the pipes can fundamentally change the their heat loss.
way district heating utilities plan, operate and
maintain their distribution network. As a result, If a building’s forward temperature is lower than expected,
improving asset management and reducing this can indicate poor performing pipe insulation, a defect
heat losses in the network hold a huge savings service pipe or incorrect meter installation causing lost
potential. revenue. If higher than expected, it can denote a leakage
or perhaps an unknown or misadjusted bypass creating
As renewables integration in district heating increases circulation that keeps the network temperature up. Whatever
so does the importance of an optimised infrastructure the reason, knowing the actual state of the network is the
for moving renewable and surplus energy to where it is prerequisite for being able to act.
needed instead of primarily generating heat by burning off
fossil fuel. Consequently, whereas utilities have previously NETWORK LOAD MONITORING
focused on using data to improve the energy performance As more and more buildings are connected to the district
of individual buildings, tapping into the potential in an heating network, utilities must constantly consider its
improved infrastructure requires them to look closer into the capacity. Because building and expanding infrastructure is
distribution network connecting the utility and the economically heavy, logistically comprehensive and time-
end users. consuming, there is great value in maximising utilisation of
the current capacity. This enables utilities to prioritise and
ZOOMING INTO THE NETWORK postpone infrastructure investments. Also, knowing their
The distribution network presents particularly two exact capacity helps them minimise the risk of oversizing
opportunities for significant cost savings: reducing heat loss new pipes.
and improving asset management. Both call for more than
general calculations based on theory, assumptions or even By linking energy meter flow measurements in a specific
airborne thermography, which delivers only a snapshot of area with detailed pipe characteristics, utilities get a precise
the network and no insight into its actual condition and picture of the load throughout the network. This verifies
development. There is a need for more frequent fact-based whether there is a match between a utility’s assumptions
knowledge. and reality plus it provides important knowledge for future
expansion of its supply area – and facts are easier to convert
Utilities already have a flow, temperature and, in some cases, into Euros than gut feelings.
a pressure sensor in each building connected to the district
heating network: smart heat meters transmitting data by the kamstrup.com l
hour 365 days a year. However, data alone – albeit accurate
and frequent – is not enough either. Data only becomes
really valuable when you use it properly.

Together with our customers, Kamstrup has created a tool
connecting information from the meters with facts about
the utility’s pipe network. Its calculations are therefore
highly specific and relevant as the basis for infrastructure
optimisation, both in terms of reducing losses and prioritising
investments in network maintenance and capacity.

ADVANCED MAPPING OF HEAT LOSS
Network losses are perhaps the biggest cost driver for
district heating utilities so the potential in eliminating
them is enormous. Combining temperature and flow
measurements from energy meters with information about
the length and size of the pipes allows them to calculate

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