Energy monitoring of a low temperature heating and cooling district network

The district “Suurstoffi” in Central Switzerland is a progressive and innovative project in the field of low-temperature heating and cooling networks for which the main goal is to ensure a fully renewable energy supply and CO2-neutral operation. In order to verify the project goals, the Lucerne University for Applied Sciences has been monitoring and optimizing the district over the last five years. The monthly analysis of more than 300 measuring points and complementary user surveys resulted in numerous findings, the most relevant observation being the performance gap identified for the heat demand and electricity consumption of the heat pumps and auxiliary equipment. The survey of the network heat balance proved to be a relevant indicator to ensure the functioning of the project in the long-term.