From calibration to heat load check - this is how district heating customers reduce their heating costs

District heating is a convenient way to heat. You don't need a heating system in the house yourself, the heat comes into the building via pipes from a power plant. But here, too, the prices are rising. Can you do anything about it?

Yes, especially with the usual austerity measures. "You can regulate the heating and choose lower temperatures," says Werner Lutsch, Managing Director of the Energy Efficiency Association for Heating, Cooling and CHP (AGFW).

In addition, even with a connection to district heating, a hydraulic balance can be carried out on the heating system in the house and this can be optimally adjusted. That also saves energy.

With this comparison, plumbing experts determine the heat output required for each living space. In addition, the pump performance and the necessary resistances in the heating circuit are calculated.

This ensures, for example, that exactly the required amount of water always flows from the circulation pump to the radiators and back. Because if too much or too little water flows, not all rooms in the house are heated evenly.

The result: colder radiators are turned on more. Furthermore, the consumption of district heating depends to a large extent on the energetic condition of the building – so if you refurbish here, you need less district heating.

Anyone who lives as a tenant in an apartment is heavily dependent on what their landlord has contractually agreed with the district heating company. "The users not only pay the working price, which reflects the actual consumption, they also pay for the agreed maximum heat load," explains Rolf Bosse, chairman of the tenants' association in Hamburg.

The heat load is included in the base price, "which often accounts for 50 percent of the total costs," says Bosse. "If it's set too high -- and it often is -- it drives up the overall price."

But there are ways to save here, too. According to Paragraph 3 of the "Ordinance on general conditions for the supply of district heating", customers have the option of having the heat output reduced by half in the current contract. "Although this does not save any energy, it can significantly reduce district heating costs," says Rolf Bosse.

He advises tenants to contact their landlord and check the contracts they have concluded. “Landlords are obliged to be economical when managing the house, they must comply with the principle of economic efficiency. Otherwise they are not allowed to pass on all costs to the tenants.”

Owners of apartments or houses who use district heating must approach their contractual partner themselves. "If the connection power you actually need is lower than agreed, the supplier has to lower the basic fee," says Stefan Materne from the consumer advice center's energy team. This can be the case if consumption has been reduced overall, for example through energy-related renovation, or if the connected load has always been too high.

When it comes to reducing the connected load, however, a healthy sense of proportion is important, says Werner Lutsch. If the output is reduced too much, there may not be enough heat available for the home in a cold winter. It is always better to talk to the supplier here.

By the way: According to consumer advocate Stefan Materne, there is now the option of terminating the contract with two months' notice if the district heating is completely replaced by renewable energy. Switching is also an option here.

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