Following its inauguration last year, our Smart Heating Laboratory in Luoyang, China has helped us to win a major tender. As a hub for innovation, the lab had a crucial role in the development and promotion of Diehl Metering's Smart Heating Solution that we will now deliver to Luoyang Heating Supply Company for two residential projects comprising a total of 1,650 apartments.
Through the innovative solution, the utility will digitize its heating distribution network, especially the secondary network, allowing it to set the most comfortable room temperature for consumers while optimizing energy consumption. The aim is to perfectly balance the system in terms of hydraulic and thermal performance, and to adjust the supply from the heat exchange station according to the real consumption. This represents a milestone in district heating in China, shifting from the traditional approach of simply feeding energy into the system to one based on supplying energy on demand.
By optimizing the thermal energy flow, Luoyang Heating Supply Company will be able to avoid imbalances in the heating supply, which can often cause lower temperatures in those apartments located furthest away from the heat exchange station. This will help to reduce customer complaints and increase satisfaction while saving up to 20% energy and reducing CO2 emissions.
The unique Diehl Metering end-to-end solution, including services such as a cloud service, uses SHARKY ultrasonic heat meters, combined with IZAR@AIR temperature and humidity sensors to collect a wealth of data from the heating system, buildings and individual apartments. This data is then transmitted via IoT communication technology to our cloud-based IZAR software platform for analysis purposes. If an imbalance is detected in the heat supply, the software suggests the adjustment of the opening grade of the balance valve to optimize the room temperature. The IZAR@HOME mobile app gives consumers more transparency on consumption, indoor temperature and humidity.
The Smart Heating Lab has proved to be an important meeting point for local experts, especially because of COVID-19 travel restrictions in China. We are confident that this tender win is the first of many solutions developed by our teams at the lab!