Connecting consumers to smart heating
On 4 December 2018, the European Heating Industry in cooperation with Member of the European Parliament Dario Tamburrano, hosted a breakfast event in the European Parliament in Brussels to talk about the benefits of smart heating for consumers, the power grid and EU climate and energy policy.
Two industry speakers presented the technological developments and potential of digitalisation in the heating sector: Timo Römer – Vice President Digital Products of the Viessmann Group, and Miriam Asbeck – Vice President Sales Digital Solutions for Bosch Thermotechnology. Sylvain Robert of the Directorate-General Energy of the European Commission reported about the legislative framework that the European legislators is creating in support of smart, connected homes.
The main takeaways from the meeting
Timo Römer focused on the demand side flexibility that the heating sector can provide to an electricity grid which needs to integrate a high share of fluctuating renewable power sources, like wind and solar energy. Heating appliances like heat pumps can help match demand and supply by increasing consumption, in case of abundancy of renewable electricity, and reducing it when power production decreases.
Miriam Asbeck explained how smart heating can improve the customer experience, by delivering hassle free heating (e.g. remote maintenance), increasing individual comfort (e.g. room temperature set-up) and reducing energy consumption. Ms Asbeck also highlighted how smart heating can help the installer, for example to ensure a proper start-up of a new appliance.
Sylvain Robert presented how the European Commission and its Clean Energy Package intend to create the right policy framework for smart building technologies. For example, the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive promotes smart controls, while several initiatives in the area of Ecodesign and Energy Labelling are underway to promote smart appliances and Building Automation and Control Systems. The review of the Internal Electricity Market Directive should also play an important role, by fostering active involvement of the consumer in the electricity market.
Look for #smartheating, #Build2050 and #EU2050 on Linkedin and Twitter for more insights from the event.
