Flexible district heating benefits both the environment and the economy

Demand side management is the new black in district heating, a real environmental measure that also benefits the economy. This practice can also prevent the usage of more expensive and fossil-based fuels. The environment wins, consumers win and the planet wins – writes Dagens Infrastruktur in an interview with Peter Kontturi, Sales Engineer at Kamstrup, the largest metering solution company in the Swedish district heating sector.

Kamstrup is a leading provider of system solutions for smart energy- and water metering. We are constantly looking for new and better ways of doing things, which is why we are also at the forefront of technological developments in intelligent electricity, water, heating and cooling solutions. Regarding district heating, we are the largest provider in the Swedish market – says Peter.

Demand side management is the new black in district heating. Nowadays, it is possible to manage the energy demand in the customer's system and utilise the thermal power, the thermal storage capacity and the inertia in each building – he continues.

If you have control over the valves, you can raise and lower the effect of a temporary energy shortage, for example; or if the heating plant needs to run with more expensive fuel for a while.

Heat Intelligence, an analytics software platform, looks at the distribution network and identifies bottlenecks. This together with demand side management provides good control over the grid and heat demand.

- We take a holistic view of district heating from the heat production plant to the end user, looking at the entire supply chain to ensure that the right action is taken at the right time. We measure and visualise the energy flow, and we work with easy-to-use systems that can identify problems. We started a project with Göteborg Energi that – among others – aims to optimise their energy usage, reduce energy consumption and decrease the energy need in peak hours by 100 MW in a year.

This project focuses on digitalising and connecting district heating and cooling plants for increased flexibility and heat demand management. Kamstrup has moved from being a meter supplier to a more complex system solution supplier with customers across the entire district heating market, both in the private and public sectors. The company’s vision is that no one should worry about the sustainable energy future or, for that matter, worry about access to clean water. Smart metering solutions enable everyone - individuals, businesses and communities - to increase energy efficiency and also reduce water loss.

Kamstrup puts customers at the center of its strategy. By listening to needs and anticipating challenges, we can create innovative product ranges of hardware, software and services, including consumption meters, communication infrastructure, metering data management systems, applications, hosted solutions and data analysis tools.