District Heating
An estimated 0.54 EJ of energy is lost in European district heating networks each year. An amount, corresponding to the energy used for heating 10-15,000,000 houses
In FunSNM, we develop tools for the uncertainty analysis of supply temperature in district heating networks. Knowing the correct supply temperature will allow utilities to optimise their operation and work at a much lower supply temperature, significantly reducing heat losses, with immediate impact through financial savings.
A general reduction of the supply temperature from 85 °C to 80 °C will potentially cause a 6% reduction in heat loss to the ground, resulting in energy savings corresponding to 33 PJ/year, reducing CO2 emissions by 3 million tonnes per year, and providing financial savings of 2 billion euros.
At the same time, temperatures must still be high enough to avoid introducing health risks, such as bacterial growth, in the system.
The aim of our research is to improve the accuracy of district heating meters, specifically their temperature measurements. We plan to implement statistical and modeling techniques to lower the general uncertainty to no more than 0.5°C at the consumer.
Extra sensors, required to further reduce supply temperatures without creating health risks, have a potential European market of up to €280 million for hardware components alone, with similar potential revenues for software solutions.