What does a heat meter measure?
Heat meters are devices used to measure thermal energy produced by a source, but they can also be heat delivered/consumed (for example heat meters in HIUs – heat interface unit). It measures the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid and the change in its temperature (ΔT) between the supply and return legs of the system.
What is Part 2, regulation 4 of the heat network metering and billing Regulations 2014?
2.4 of the heat network metering and billing regulations is “when only one final customer occupies a building supplied by a district heat network, the heat supplier must ensure that meters are installed to measure the consumption of heating, cooling or hot water by that final customer”.
How is district heating charged?
District heating can be paid for in a variety of ways. Some tenants pay for it along with their rent, termed ‘heat with rent’, which is typically a fixed charge (not tied to the amount of heat consumed). Other homeowners are charged per unit of heating, as would be the case with normal gas or electric heating. This can be paid for via prepayment meters, direct debit, quarterly or monthly billing. In line with regulation 2.4, once meters are installed, billing must be based on consumption and not a fixed cost. This is to encourage consumers to be mindful of their energy spend and reduce costs and in doing so reduce their carbon footprint.
Are heat networks regulated?
Heat networks are regulated. If a building supplies heating, cooling or hot water to tenants via a heat network, they will likely be affected by The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations. These regulations were launched in 2014 and updated in November 2020 with new obligations and terms for heat suppliers.
Under the Regulations, the operators of heat networks must submit notifications for the heat networks they operate. They must also (where required) install metering devices on those networks. Operators whose networks are fitted with metering devices must meet ongoing and changing obligations, including using these devices to bill customers based on their energy consumption. This includes heating, cooling and hot water. With the increasing pressures on energy prices, these regulations are likely to be updated again.
Who regulates heat networks?
The Government through BEIS sets the terms for heat network regulations. The regulations aim to drive energy efficiency in domestic and commercial buildings. They apply to anyone supplying and charging for heating, cooling or hot water (a ‘heat supplier’) via a heat network. OFGEM are soon to be taking over enforcement of the regulations.
What are the legislations?
All information regarding The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations can be found via the Government website. Heat networks account for a small proportion of UK heating systems. As a result of their smallness, their locations were unrecorded and their operation was unregulated until 2014. Following on from this, the regulations were established in 2014 and have since been updated accordingly.
How do you read a heat meter?
Reading a heat meter depends on the different types of meters that you have installed.
What instrument measures heat exchange?
For heat exchanger performance monitoring, instruments and probes based on electrical effects are the most common type to be found. These include:
- RTDs
- Thermistors
- Thermocouples
What is a calorimetric flow meter?
A calorimetric flow meter uses two temperature sensors in a probe within a flowing medium (usually liquid in a pipe). One of the sensors is constantly heated by an element so will give you the temperature at the heating element, the other sensor is not heated so will give you the temperature of the medium. As flow increases in the pipe, the temperature difference between the probes will decrease, because the heated sensor will be cooled by the medium, and the faster the flow the cooler the heated sensor.
These flow meters have 2 temperature sensors in the tip, not 1, so that they can calculate the temperature difference between the heated probe, and the unheated probe in the flowing medium.
In case of a flowing medium such as a liquid, thermal energy will be withdrawn and the temperature difference will change in relation to the flow rate.