DIGITALISATION OF THE DANISH DISTRICT HEATING SECTOR
CASE CATALOGUE 2023
“DEN DIGITALE VARMEMESTER GENERATES SIGNIFICANT VALUE, AND WORKING WITH KAMSTRUP MEANS THAT WE CAN ACTU ALISE THE GREEN TRANSITION BETTER AND FASTER THAN WE’D OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO. THE TRANSITION IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF WE BRING THE CUSTOMERS WITH US AND ARE ABLE TO HEAT BUILDINGS OPTIMALLY.”
CLAUS A. NIELSEN, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, DIN FORSYNING
Issues discussed during start-up of the project included:
Working together over several days, both parties contribut- ed with their knowledge and ingenuity - and they continue to do so. Den Digitale Varmemester is a comprehensive and practicable solution that would not have been possible in a normal customer/supplier relationship. Short-term benefits: Processes at DIN Forsyning will be made twice as efficient by circumventing manual processes and integrating tools. The saved costs correspond to one full-time employee, as the current energy consultant will be able to do twice as much. A mapping of data before and during the project shows that current initiatives by energy consultants have resulted in a 0.5 degree drop in return temperature across the company’s entire network. DIN Forsyning estimates that a 1 degree drop in temperature corresponds to approximately DKK 1 million in savings. DIN Forsyning estimates an annual additional cost totalling of DKK 7.7 million (conservative estimate), when DIN Forsyn- ing changes its energy mix during 2023, if the grid tempera- ture is not lowered.
• What is the exact extent of the issue? How many heating installations can/must be optimised? • How can existing faults be remedied quickly and effi- ciently? • Can we predict which buildings will face issues due to lower temperatures, and can we be proactive with the customer in advance? • Can we target communications with our end customers and improve our customer service? The goal of Den Digitale Varmemester is to help structure and streamline implementation of low-temperature district heating by ensuring optimal heating installations in build- ings. Results The strategic collaboration between DIN Forsyning and Kamstrup is primarily driven by a need to understand the is- sues facing district heating companies and to find solutions to them.
Din Forsyning Monitoring, Troubleshooting and Maintaining Heating Plants CASE 13
Challenge The green transition of district heating is inextricably linked with lower temperatures in the district heating network. The efficiency of heat pumps depends to a high degree on return temperatures, and there are significant gains from lowering the temperature through effective flue gas condensation and less heat loss, for example. Today, 50-60 percent of heating installations covered by DIN Forsyning, located near the Danish city of Esbjerg in the western part of Denmark, are faulty or installed incorrectly. There is therefore signifi- cant room for improvement. Solution ‘Den Digitale Varmemester’ (The Digital Heating Techni- cian) was developed in a close cooperation between DIN Forsyning and Kamstrup. The goal of the collaboration was to develop a solution that would benefit the entire district heating sector. The solution is an entirely new proactive and structured approach to low-temperature district heating. The solution uses digitalisation and algorithms to streamline the process of monitoring, troubleshooting and optimising heating installations. The solution also makes it possible to document and follow up on results, irrespective of whether the heating installation is the customer’s own or the installation is owned and main- tained by the district heating company. The first version of the solution will be released in November and will regularly
be updated with new modules and functions:
• Digitalisation and dimensioning troubleshooting. Contin- uous monitoring and automatic diagnostics make it pos- sible to prioritise efforts, achieve better results through dialogue with the end customer and to document both. • Easier access to plumber call-out and repairs. With the correct information at hand, a competent plumber, energy consultant, etc., will quickly be able to fix any problems. • Ability to look ahead. Predict and intervene when, al- though heating systems are currently working, they will cause problems in the future. Find and resolve problems before they cause issues relating to lower temperatures. • Customised solutions with greater effect. Combine analyses and application knowhow to customise com- munications and new services for specific groups of end customers. The collaboration began in autumn 2021 and is expected to run for another one to two years. As part of the Fremtidens Fjernvarme project, DIN Forsyning needs to reduce temper- atures in the distribution system by 6-10 degrees Celsius. The district heating company is on track, with its future production mixes and heating distribution. However, there is significant uncertainty regarding effects on the building stock and the adequacy of current optimisation efforts.
The situation today... • Limited overview and scalability. Issues are mitigated reactively as they arise. • Manual processes. Diagnostics require experts to interpret graphs and trends. • Limited knowledge of effects and results.
Den Digitale Varmemester • Ongoing monitoring and automated, data-driven diagnostics make it possible to triage which heating installations need to be dealt with first. • Ability to easily notify end customers and provide them with the necessary means to solve the problem. • Full transparency of results at individual customer level and at system level.
INFORMATION
Meters Address Email Phone
Company Solution Providers Employees Heat
27.432 Ulvsundvej 1, 6715 Esbjerg, Denmark post@dinforsyning.dk +45 74 74 74 74
Din Forsyning Kamstrup 265 935 GWh
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