Heat meter
With utility heat meter reading, meter readings from the network and from buildings flow automatically onto an IoT platform. Utilities use it to monitor their heating network and business customers their consumption, without reading meters on site.
Heat meter at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Heat meter
Retrofitting heat meters with NB-IoT for remote reading
Elvaco retrofits existing heat meters with plug-in NB-IoT modules and Telekom SIM cards. The meters send their data to the cloud automatically: utilities can bill monthly, as district heating regulations require by the end of 2026, and detect leaks early.
Energy monitoring as a digital service for municipal utilities
Utility heat meter reading on an open IoT platform
In the solution example, the foundation is ThingsBoard, which combines an IoT platform and an energy management system in one solution. Meter data is connected, integrated and analysed, and different user groups get their own areas with their own evaluations. To be eligible for BAFA funding in Germany, energy management systems must meet the requirements of ISO 50001. In podcast episode 90, Microsoft and energy service provider Techem show the approach for large volumes: data from the metering devices is streamed via Azure IoT Hub into Azure Data Explorer and analysed there in near real time.
The solution example comes from the energy sector and the public sector. Together with it-novum, Stadtwerke Krefeld replaced a rigid energy monitoring system that did not allow flexible analysis. The utility's network company now monitors the district heating network with the help of 1,500 meters in ThingsBoard. Business customers monitor their properties and equipment on the same platform. The utility runs the system itself rather than merely being a user of vendor software.
Podcast episodes featuring Heat meter
Utility heat meter reading: frequently asked questions
How do utilities use data from commercial heat meters?
Utilities offer business customers energy management as a digital service based on meter data. At Stadtwerke Krefeld, business customers use ThingsBoard to monitor their properties, equipment and rooms and to measure their energy consumption precisely so they can identify savings. Values for light, humidity, noise and open or closed doors are added as well. The utility uses the same platform for its own network.
Which platform suits a utility with many heat meters?
What is needed is a platform that combines energy management with the connection of IoT devices. Stadtwerke Krefeld found that market solutions usually offered energy management functions only. A practical test of the free version of ThingsBoard showed that its standard features were sufficient, whereas other solutions would have needed extensive paid changes. Another reason was that the utility can run the system itself.
How does a utility monitor its district heating network via meters?
Meter data from the network flows automatically onto an IoT platform, where the network company analyses it. At Stadtwerke Krefeld, the network company monitors the district heating network with the help of 1,500 meters in ThingsBoard. The utility uses the same platform for groundwater levels and smart city data. For Julian Deymann, team leader of SWK connect, this versatility was one reason for the choice.
How do you process data from very large numbers of heat meters?
With large numbers of devices, a streaming architecture that processes every message immediately helps. In podcast episode 90, Malte Schulenburg of Microsoft and Dr Roland Werner of Techem describe how data from the metering devices is streamed via Azure IoT Hub to Azure Data Explorer. The big data platform analyses large volumes of data in near real time, without delays.
More assets in “Components & Devices”
Filter
Filter monitoring with IoT measures the differential pressure across a filter and shows how dirty it is. Operators change filters when it is actually necessary, avoid clogged filters and downtime, and save energy and material.
Energy chain
An energy chain with IoT sensors continuously reports the condition of the cable management on moving machinery. Operators learn about overload, blockages or chain breakage before the machine stops, and plan chain replacement according to actual use.
Lighting
Commercial lighting control with IoT adjusts the lighting in offices, halls, shops and advertising installations according to occupancy, brightness and schedules, and monitors every luminaire remotely. Operators cut electricity consumption and learn about failures immediately.
Electricity meter
Automatic meter reading means that electricity meter readings reach a platform via radio, cellular network or pulse adapter, with no on-site reading. Operators bill more accurately and see where energy is consumed in a building or in production.
Charging station
Commercial EV charging relies on load management that distributes the available power across all charging stations at a site and monitors them remotely. Operators avoid overloading the grid connection, integrate photovoltaics and storage, and bill sessions automatically.
Piping network
Pipeline monitoring with IoT reports pressure drops, pressure peaks and moisture under insulation in a piping network before they turn into failures. Operators maintain pipes according to their condition and avoid inspection rounds to hard-to-reach measuring points.
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