Meter systems are getting smart!
Since the end of 2021, many building owners and operators have been looking anxiously at the new German Heating Cost Ordinance, whose implementation is mandated by German law. This not only makes monthly consumption information to energy consumers and the installation of remotely readable meters mandatory, but also requires the implementation of interoperable metering technology and data storage and transmission. The greatest challenge here is the flexible and economical implementation, especially for existing buildings. The replacement of old technology is to take place gradually until 2031.
Heating Costs Ordinance – What is it all about?
The Heating Costs Ordinance regulates the billing of heating and hot water costs in the tenancy/occupancy relationship as well as in the condominium owner relationship. It came into force back in 1981 and has been regularly adapted and expanded since then. The current provisions of the Heating Costs Ordinance on remote reading are based on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) of the European Union and the national implementation in the Building Energy Act. The goal is to increase the transparency of energy consumption in order to raise awareness of energy-efficient building operation. Mandatory monthly consumption information enables tenants and building or apartment owners to increase their overview of consumption values, and also facilitates the preparation of statements. The latest adjustment or amendment came into force in December 2021 and essentially comprises three core requirements.
1. Remote meter reading
Remote reading enables users to read the current meter readings of their energy consumption at any time and from any location. Not only does this eliminate the tedious reading of meters or heat cost allocators on site in the building, the data series collected can also be evaluated and visualized. This makes it possible to track consumption trends and identify potential energy savings.
Metrological equipment installed from December 2021 onwards must be capable of being read remotely. If only individual devices from a system that cannot be read remotely need to be replaced, this is considered an exception. Walk-by and drive-by technologies are defined as remotely readable. In principle, metering devices that are already installed but not remotely readable must be supplemented with the remote reading function by the end of 2026 or exchanged for modern devices with this function.
2. Interoperability & SMGW compatibility
Newly installed and remotely readable measurement technology must be interoperable with systems from other manufacturers or providers from 01.12.2022. This means that the devices can exchange measurement data and information with each other without any problems. In addition to interoperability, the metering technology must also be able to be connected to smart meter gateways (SMGW). Devices that have already been installed and can be read remotely are exempt from this deadline and only have to be SMGW-capable by the end of 2031. Our products stand out as particularly interoperable due to a large number of usable communication interfaces. This means that manufacturer-independent integration is possible without any problems.
3. Duty of notification and information
In addition to the retrofitting obligation, the Heating Costs Ordinance also includes a notification and information obligation. Since 2022, building owners have had to provide their tenants/occupiers with monthly consumption information during the year if remote-readable metering technology has been installed to record consumption. Previously, two intra-year consumption information notices per year were required, regardless of the metering technology. What initially sounds like additional work turns out to be a relief. With the right software, the consumption information can be prepared automatically and sent to selected persons at the desired intervals. This completely eliminates the workload.
In addition, more information must now be provided in the heating cost statement, in particular:
- Actual energy price
- Total energy costs
- CO2 emission data
- Energy mix used
- Energy comparison with the previous year
- Energy comparison with average consumer
Metrological equipment installed from December 2021 onwards must be capable of being read remotely. If only individual devices from a system that is not remotely readable need to be replaced, this is considered an exception. Walk-by and drive-by technologies are defined as remotely readable. In principle, already installed metering devices that are not remotely readable must be supplemented with the remote reading function by the end of 2026 or exchanged for modern devices with this function.
Simple implementation of the heating cost regulation
With our smart measuring and recording devices for remote reading, we meet the requirements of the German Heating Costs Ordinance and offer building operators and building owners a practical solution that can be implemented quickly. In addition to the necessary hardware, the DEOS solution includes a vendor-neutral connectable IoT platform for visualizing energy consumption. In this way, you can easily and conveniently comply with the obligation to provide consumption information during the year and have all your energy consumption data at a glance – whether for a new construction project or in an existing building.
The right energy meters
Intelligent energy meters, also known as smart meters, are required for the implementation of the Heating Costs Ordinance. In addition to the classic M-Bus interface, we also offer the latest LoRaWAN wireless solutions for connecting smart meters, which are becoming the standard for retrofitting in existing buildings. It impresses with its high radio range, excellent building penetration and long battery runtimes of up to 10 years, depending on the sensor type. This eliminates the need for expensive and complex cable laying. Users, on the other hand, get the greatest possible flexibility in terms of sensor placements and benefit from the cost-effective infrastructure of a LoRaWAN solution. Both LoRaWAN and M-Bus energy meters are connected to the DEOS IoT platform via gateways and make the collected data available.
The right IoT platform
In the IoT platform pro.Building Suite, all collected meter data is processed and visualized for the end user in practical dashboards. Both facility managers and building users can thus access individual consumption data via standard browser or app and become aware of their energy consumption. Due to the simply structured dashboards, even non-technicians can view current consumption and compare it in relation to the previous month, the previous year or even the normalized average consumer.
Benefit from advantages
The great advantage of our IoT platform: The meter and building structure are digitally mapped 1:1 and lay the foundation for the digital building twin. In this way, the multitude of meters and sensors is recorded clearly and comprehensibly for everyone and presented transparently for facility management or technical building management. Open interfaces can be used, for example, to import historical data or to make the building/energy data available to another system (e.g. billing systems).
In addition to energy data, the DEOS IoT platform also records other building data such as temperatures, humidity, CO2 content or operating information of the TGA systems. When combined with an existing building automation system, the IoT platform provides advanced capabilities to improve facility service and building comfort.
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