Smart heating controls - how digitalization is changing the heating supply in industry and commerce

We live in a time of rapid change. Digitalization is increasingly shaping our everyday working lives. For companies that want to be successful and competitive in the future, there is no way around it. When we talk about Industry 4.0, this is exactly what we mean: Machines and industrial processes are being intelligently networked and controlled by algorithms. Many industrial companies have already implemented this or are on their way to doing so. But while the main focus is on production processes, other areas, such as heat supply, are usually overlooked. And rightly so? 

Towards heat 4.0 with a smart heating control system 

The fact is that a digital heat supply with smart heating controls can unleash huge savings potential - especially in the industrial sector, where enormous amounts of energy, financial resources and manpower are used for heating. With "HEAT 4.0" we at KÜBLER have developed a concept that makes it easy to digitize your heating system with smart heating controls. Find out here what the industrial heating system of the future will look like and what new technical possibilities digitalization with smart heating controls will bring. 

With a smart heating control system, the heat supply runs at the optimum efficiency level 

As a rule, heating systems in factories and warehouses are switched on at the beginning of the heating period and switched off again at the end. In between, little usually happens. Between us: Very few companies have the time to regularly check whether the heating-up time is too long, the heating temperature is too high or the night setback is not regulated at all. The same applies to hall heating as to cars: the driving style determines the energy consumption. The better adapted to the usage requirements, the more efficient the heating operation. Smart heating control systems that function fully digitally can do this for you at this point - they control the heat supply through the winter with significantly less energy consumption, but at the optimum temperature level. 

Smart heating controls and intelligent tools manage the heating process and enable a completely new level of transparency 

These smart heating controls permanently record data in real-time monitoring. This creates unprecedented transparency about the heating process. If you want to know which devices are active, how much energy they consume and when, whether the settings and efficiency values of your heating supply are still correct - now it's possible. In addition, the data collected by the smart heating control system is permanently analyzed and documented and is available to you, for example, for your internal quality management or for ISO 50001 or 14001 audits. 

Achieve increased availability of your heating system with a smart heating control system 

The interaction between digitalized industrial heating systems and smart heating control systems therefore opens up completely new possibilities in the supply of heat. This also includes predictive maintenance. Long before your hall heating system could possibly malfunction, it would be possible to see what is happening in the burner at the bottom of the control station or on the monitor. You could have many interventions carried out directly online without a service technician having to make the journey. This would not only save an enormous amount of time and distance, but also increase the availability of your heat supply - and therefore the safety of your production processes. 

Speaking of production: imagine what would happen if the heating in production were to fail. Employee satisfaction and motivation would suffer - and in the worst case scenario, production would come to a standstill. This can be remedied by early detection of possible malfunctions and breakdowns using a smart heating control system. This also makes sense from an economic point of view, because the heat supply should be subject to the same cost-benefit analysis as any of your production machines. 

With smart heating controls and intelligent networking, you save  

Industrial heating systems are no longer stand-alone solutions. They are networked with other technologies and even network the various energy flows in the building. For example, hot water can be generated via residual heat utilization and used in sanitary rooms or to support hydraulic office heating systems. Waste heat from the production process can be integrated into the systems, as can energy from solar thermal energy, etc. Building management systems or various software tools can be integrated into the smart heating control system and monitor the opening times of hall doors, for example. And all of this is controlled across all locations, regardless of the PC workstation. 

Smart heating control improves energy efficiency and reduces costs 

However, the digitalization of hall heating systems with the help of smart heating control systems not only offers you completely new technical possibilities. It also helps you to identify and exploit potential savings in the heat supply. The reduction in energy consumption alone through extremely efficient infrared heating technologies and optimized operation with smart heating control can result in savings in primary energy consumption of up to 70 percent. These are dimensions that pay off significantly in business terms given the high consumption levels in industrial companies - with annual cost savings in the six-figure range, depending on the company, at relatively low investment costs.  

Incidentally, this is also interesting to know: Legislation also rewards the high contribution to CO₂-reduction and climate protection. In the Building Energy Act (GEG) the heat supply with decentralized systems (such as gas infrared heating) in new buildings with a room height of more than four meters is exempt from the obligation to use renewable energies. 

New and economically very interesting services are only made possible by digital, smart heating control 

There is one new - and perhaps the most interesting - aspect of smart heating control that you should get to know at this point: the heat supply can be rented. The new, digital possibilities are particularly helpful when companies find themselves in this situation: Modern energy-saving heating technology? "Yes" - budget? "No". 

Many companies are reluctant to invest in a new heating system with smart heating control and the associated depreciation costs. And that is understandable - especially in economically uncertain times. If the old heating system is still running reasonably well, why not save yourself the investment? The digital age also offers a solution for this, which can be extremely interesting for companies: The digitalization of the heat supply enables completely flexible and very affordable heating solutions. Rental concepts such as HeizWerk. 

With this rental concept, we take responsibility for the heating process. From energy-efficient refurbishment to operation. Using smart heating control systems, such as intelligent remote maintenance software, we keep a constant eye on the heating processes and efficiency of the system and control it at the optimum level according to the usage profile. The company itself only rents the heat, so to speak - without the associated investment and depreciation requirements. At the end of the year, companies with such a rental solution therefore even have money "left over". This is because the energy cost savings are usually higher than the rental amount. Tackling the digitalization of the heat supply is therefore also worthwhile in financial terms - and makes this sustainable and economically sensible decision palatable for every company. 

Our conclusion: smart heating controls are simply part of the future 

They can help companies to overcome the biggest challenges in heating halls - always with an eye to the future. Digitalized heating systems, smart heating control systems and the right software tools ensure greater process transparency, increase energy efficiency, increase availability and reduce heating costs at the same time. And at a time when flexibility is also playing an increasingly important role, digital solutions are indispensable anyway. Only with their help can rental concepts be offered that enable a heat supply without any capital expenditure. 

Would you now like to exploit these possibilities in your company? Then please contact us! Together, we will find a smart heating control system that exactly meets your requirements.