Why do we want to keep track of heat using thermal energy meters?
Putting energy efficiency first has been one of the European Union’s key objectives for several years. Saving energy reduces the impact on both the environment and the climate, while returning tangible financial benefits.
The Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament, amending the previous Directive 2012/27, represents an important building block towards the EU’s broader environmental objectives. Those objective are: Improving energy efficiency throughout Europe by 20% before 2020 and by 32.5% before 2030.
Heat accounting, by means of thermal energy meters, is a mechanism used in apartment buildings to allocate consumptions, and therefore costs, to the individual users. This allocation can take place either directly or indirectly.
In older apartment buildings with column distribution lines, the allocation of expenses can be carried out by means of heat cost allocators. These allocators are not heat meters, and therefore do not fall under the remit of the MID directive. The allocators are applied onto the radiators of each room of each dwelling and record the temperature difference between the radiator and the environment. this difference is then used to calculate “consumption units”. The total heat costs of the building are then shared, or allocated, among the various dwellings in proportion to the “consumption units” recorded for each individual dwelling.
New apartment buildings with horizontal distribution lines, instead, use direct heat metering instruments. Thermal energy meters measure the volume of water supplied to the system and the temperature difference between intake and outlet. This information is then used to calculate the actual energy consumption in a given period of time. The thermal energy meters may be installed in dedicated cabinets for each dwelling unit, or at the thermal power plant.
Data measurement
Thermal energy meters are basically made up of three elements: an electronic calculator, two temperature sensors and a flow meter, which may be a mechanical meter or an ultrasonic static meter.
The data measured by thermal energy meters may be read locally on the display of the instrument, or remotely by cable connection (M-BUS) or radio connection (Wireless M-BUS). If one of the latter two solutions is used, three pulse inputs may also be added to collate on a single instrument data from secondary meters, such as, for instance, hot and cold sanitary water meters. The data transmitted by the heat energy meters can also be read via our centralised systems
Maddalena’s thermal energy’s solutions
Maddalena manufactures a range of thermal energy meters capable to meet all heat metering and accounting requirements. From simple domestic users to the most complex district heating and industrial applications. Our heat meters are certified under the MID Directive, comply with European Standard EN 1434, and employ the most advanced technologies available. Our product range includes mechanical and ultrasonic meters for maximum accuracy, reliability and durability over time. The range includes also heat cost allocators for indirect accounting of consumptions for domestic users.
