Space heating measurement in apartment buildings

This project focused to find out the costs and benefits achieved through a) heating cost allocators c) building energy management systems and compare them with benefits achieved by other energy improvement measures both in the existing building stock and future new construction. In multi-apartment buildings with a central heating individual consumption meters or heat cost allocators shall be installed at demand of Energy Efficiency Directive, which came into force in December 2012. The introduction of individual billing of heat cost is justified by energy savings. Measuring heat energy consumption as an such obviously do not save energy, but it effects on resident's behaviour e.g. by avoiding window ventilation during the heating period. In Finland apartment buildings are typically equipped with ventilation, either by natural or mechanical exhaust or mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation. Opening windows for long term ventilation purposes is very seldom. The share of space heating is dominant is old buildings stock which do not have gone through major renovations. In the new and renovated building stock the share of space heating is decreasing due to improved thermal insulation, airtightness and ventilation heat recovery. According to this study the heat cost allocators increase the equipment costs of water central heating system in new and renovated buildings in Finland. The cost pressure compared to present situation is in old, not renovated buildings is about 10 per cent, after renovation 20-30 per cent and after major renovation 40-50 per cent. In new, very efficient buildings the cost allocation can be as much the energy cost of water central space heating itself. It is very unlikely and sometimes even impossible that the energy-saving behavior could compensate the additional cost caused by measuring system. Therefore heat cost allocators can exterminate savings achieved by ordinary or advanced building energy management systems.