HVAC support swarm

Climate and water protection innovation fund: HVAC support swarm: students support the HVAC companies in optimizing heating systems in existing buildings

Project management: Beatrice Rodenbücher
Funding period: 01.07.2023 - 30.06.2026
Funding body: badenova AG & Co.KG

In the course of the climate crisis and, more recently, the energy crisis energy optimization in existing buildings is increasingly coming to the public's perception. As a result, the already urgently needed, fundamental refurbishment of the heat supply in the building sector (“Wärmewende”) is gaining great importance and enormous urgency. It is now important to use this momentum towards a sustainable heat supply. At the same time, the shortage of skilled workers on the one hand and the significant increase in demand for new and innovative heating systems on the other hand leads to overloaded HVAC trade in some regions.

The aim of the project is for students from the field of energy technology (as a “support swarm of students for the trade”) trained accordingly in order to be able to relieve the burden on the trades by taking over the inventory, carrying out a comprehensive analysis and the planning services (in particular for hydraulic balancing, operational optimization and, if necessary, a refurbishment roadmap). This must of course be in agreement with the market participants (including local authorities and energy agencies) and in compliance with the legal framework.

This is how an operation and system optimization could proceed:

1. Contact via website with initial information from the customer on address, age of building, renovation / condition, heating system, number of radiators / rooms, living space, photo of the boiler, etc.

2. Student comes to the house and makes an initial assessment (all data required for a room-by-room heating load calculation, network topology, recording of radiators and heating energy consumption) on their own responsibility. Student prepares complete analysis, in particular heating load and hydronic balancing, including optimization of the flow temperature. Handover to customer and tradesman.

3. Second visit with targeted coordination for technical implementation, in particular valve replacement, only valve seat, possibly radiator, probably heating pump, most likely adjustment of control parameters / setpoints, etc.

4. Implementation by the trade, preferably at cost, without Bafa/KfW (if “only” operational optimization). Or GEG refurbishment schedule.

Offenburg University of Applied Sciences is coordinating the project and offering a compact course on hydronic balancing and operational optimization. At INATECH, students in Freiburg (Master's and Bachelor's degree courses in SSE) are supervised as part of the HVAC support swarm, the efficiency increase in heat pump systems through hydronic balancing is evaluated and a method for evaluating the heat pump suitability of heating systems in existing buildings is developed.