District Heating Meets Smart Heat Meter Data: Can We Diagnose Buildings and Substations?

Abstract

The rapid deployment of smart heat meters in Denmark and EU has catalysed significant digitalisation in district heating (DH). While smart heat meter (SHM) data is increasingly used for operational optimisation and fault detection, challenges persist in translating fault identification into actionable diagnostics. Key barriers include limited training data, lack of standardised metadata, and low-resolution measurements. This paper addresses these gaps by proposing a three-tiered data collection framework to enhance fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in domestic DH substations: (1) standard hourly SHM data; (2) high-resolution data (4-second intervals, 1 W precision) via optical reading; and (3) supplementary sensor data on indoor climate and secondary-side of heating system. This approach aims to support the development of robust, data-driven diagnostic methods and accelerate digitalisation and energy optimisation in DH systems.

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Text

Pomianowski, M., Langeland, C.K., Christiansen, C.H., Vera-Valdés, J.E., Schaffer, M., Rasmussen, M.K., and Marszal-Pomianowska, A. (2025). “District Heating Meets Smart Heat Meter Data: Can We Diagnose Buildings and Substations?”. REHVA Report. URL: RHEVA 04/2025

BibTex

@article{SCHAFFER2024b,
    title = {District Heating Meets Smart Heat Meter Data: Can We Diagnose Buildings and Substations?},
    author = {Pomianowski, M. and Langeland, C.K. and Christiansen, C.H. and Vera-Valdés, J.E. and Schaffer, M. and Rasmussen, M.K. and Marszal-Pomianowska, A.},
    journal = {The REHVA European HVAC Journal},
    volume = {04/2025},
    year = {2025},
    url = {https://www.rehva.eu/rehva-journal/detail/04-2025}
}