Today, a lack of overview and scalability means that issues are mitigated reactively as they arise. Manual processes mean that diagnostics often require experts to interpret graphs and trends. Finally, limited knowledge of effects and results means utilities don’t always know what actually works, what doesn’t – and how to get the most out of their efforts. Attacking the demand side, therefore, requires a whole new set of knowledge, competencies, and digital tools for engaging and serving end users. Together with some of our most ambi- tious customers, we have seen the pros, cons, and effects of three concrete digital solutions to this challenge. — No. 1: Motivation tariff When influencing customers to lower their return temperature, implementing a motivation tariff is one of the lowest-hang- ing fruits. It may be the obvious place to start. Still, it is also a somewhat one-dimensional approach that relies solely on the financial punishment of poor-performing end users rather than optimization as such. This approach also adds an obligation to the utility itself as incentivizing your customers to make a change – rather than just paying the added tariff – requires you to educate, sup- port, and guide them. After all, even if they do contact, e.g.,
ities today have a good understanding and full control of the production and distribution parts of their value chain – both of which are also made up of the utilities’ own assets. The demand side of district heating, however, remains severely underserved. While this part of the value chain is the end users’ territory – and responsibility – it holds enormous potential for utilities because what happens inside the con- nected buildings in your network significantly impacts its overall efficiency. Considering, for example, that reports have shown 50-60% of all heat installations to be either faulty or installed incor- rectly and that some utilities say that as little as 6% of their poorest performing customers account for 20% of the total flow in the network, there’s no time to waste. The problem is that many utility professionals don’t have the right tools for the job. One goal – three tactics Engaging and motivating end users to optimize their heat installation to improve return temperatures and lower supply temperatures is both difficult and time-consuming. On top of that, optimizing faulty heating systems is a continuous task if you want to avoid temperatures going back up.
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