­Presentation at the AGFW district heating colloquium

Dirk Weiß gave a presentation at this year's AGFW district heating colloquium on the topic of "Surface geothermal energy and the storage capacity of buildings - solutions for small towns and rural communities".

One focus was on the new façade conditioning system AktivDHKS (Aktiv-Dämm-Heiz-Kühl-System). This system enables refurbishments to be carried out while the building remains fully operational. By using very low flow temperatures (20-28 °C) in the façade system, the flow temperatures in existing heating systems can also be significantly reduced. As a result, heat pumps achieve excellent performance figures (COP > 4-5), which lowers the electricity requirement and reduces operating costs for residents. At the same time, the AktivDHKS has a grid-friendly effect and reduces the load on the electricity grids.

The NeutralPath and AktivDHKS research projects were also presented in the lecture. The planning tools VICUS Building and VICUS District were used. Specific planning results were used to show how practitioners can benefit from building simulation.

The topic was rounded off with a look at near-surface geothermal energy. Designed as a flat-plate collector, this technology is a simple and efficient method of providing environmental heat for heat pumps. As the temperature fluctuations in the ground are significantly lower than in the outside air, heat pumps also benefit from more stable operating conditions.

T&K Invest GmbH plans such systems on the basis of detailed simulations and can also support implementation if required. In this way, research and practice intertwine - and bring innovative solutions directly to the street.