Heat Calculation

Staying ahead of the competition as a heat supplier.

The heat transition is intended to ensure that heat supply becomes more climate-friendly. A highly automated billing system is a success factor in the day-to-day business of heat suppliers that should not be underestimated, especially in view of future market developments.

Challenge: Complex regulations and contract drafting
Municipal heat planning is now placing increasing demands on heat suppliers to develop sustainable and economical concepts. At the same time, complex requirements from the FFVAV (District Heating and District Cooling Consumption Recording and Billing Ordinance) must be met satisfactorily and on time. One key problem, for example, is the BEHG levy (Fuel Emissions Trading Act), also known as the CO₂ levy. Heat suppliers must purchase certificates to offset their emissions. However, the costs for these certificates are often not determined until the billing has already been prepared. Landlords, who depend on prompt heat billing in order to prepare their utility bills on time, are putting pressure on suppliers. In addition, the FFVAV requires heat suppliers to provide their customers with monthly consumption information, provided that remotely readable measuring devices are available. This requires high data quality and efficient processes for data collection and provision. In the area of combined heat and power plants (CHP), billing is even more complex, as pricing is more individualized and cross-commodity offers such as tenant electricity must be integrated. It is also important to include non-commodity services such as maintenance contracts in the billing.

Implementation: Digitalization for greater efficiency and flexibility
To meet these challenges, heat suppliers should increasingly focus on digitalization and automation. Integrative platforms enable the flexible mapping of individual pricing concepts and the consideration of cross-commodity and non-commodity services in billing. The implementation of online portals also offers an efficient solution for improving data quality. End customers can use these portals to independently enter and update their customer and contract data. At the same time, they gain access to monthly consumption information in accordance with the FFVAV. This not only promotes compliance with regulatory requirements, but also increases customer satisfaction through greater transparency. In the course of accurately reporting the heating technologies and energy sources used, automated processes for the timely recording and billing integration of the necessary information and measurement data from generation plants provide significant relief for utility companies. In the CHP sector, flexible software solutions make it easy to map complex billing models.

Solution: Future-proofing through appropriate software and process expertise
The combination of digitized processes, powerful software, and high data quality sets the course for successful heat billing. Billing systems such as AKTIF®dataService enable heat suppliers to efficiently implement regulatory requirements, improve data quality, and offer customers enhanced service. Heat suppliers are well equipped for the future with such a solution – especially if the heat market moves towards liberalization. Experience from the liberalized electricity and gas markets shows that flexibility and adaptability are crucial. AKTIF's cross-sector offering thus offers a clear advantage. Last but not least, data from heat, electricity, and gas supply can be clearly consolidated, paving the way for an expansion of the business model, further optimizing processes, and unlocking additional efficiency potential. Heat suppliers who invest in digitalization and automation now are therefore securing competitive advantages and laying the foundation for sustainable success in a changing market.

This article appeared in full in issue 11-12/2024 of the trade journal EURO HEAT&POWER.