4th Generation District Heating Research Articles

Identifying untraced faults associated with high return temperatures from heating systems in buildings connected to district heating networks

The district heating (DH) system is in its transition towards the 4th generation district heating (4GDH), and the high DH return temperatures need to be addressed during the process. In the existing building heating systems, many faults, malfunctions, or sub-optimal operations can lead to high DH return temperatures. However, the field of fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) within heating systems is notably under-researched in contrast to their counterparts in ventilation and air conditioning in building HVAC systems. This divergence can be attributed to several factors, including limited digital integration, a scarcity of data, and the non-obvious nature of faults in heating systems. In this study, we utilized heat cost allocators (HCA) and energy meters to investigate the features and potential impacts of four untraced faults that can lead to high district heating (DH) return temperatures in both space heating and domestic hot water systems in large buildings. We identified component-level faults, including heat exchanger overflow, space heating temperature controller failures, and excessive operating temperatures due to bypass, as well as system-level issues such as non-uniform heat distribution in buildings and its impacts. This exploration provides new, critical insights for advancing FDD research in HVAC and DH systems.

Environmental and economic assessment of industrial excess heat recovery collaborations through 4th generation district heating systems

The external use of excess heat from industrial processes is an important factor in the energy transition and 4th generation district heating is an enabling technology. This paper presents a calculation tool for assessing the economic feasibility and the environmental impact of collaborations between potential industrial sources and users. The tool supports the sizing of district heating pipe diameters, pumps, heat pumps, and heat storage systems. A distinctive feature of the model is the possibility of calculating carbon and blue water footprints, alongside economic indicators, for both existing stand-alone systems and potential collaborative configurations. Excess heat recovery from water-cooled condensers of refrigeration systems is evaluated for two case studies involving the space heating of offices in a food logistics hub and the heating of a greenhouse from a frozen pizza factory, respectively. Only the second collaboration is profitable with the baseline price of natural gas (0.04 €/kWh) and electricity (0.12 €/kWh), provided that the distance between the source and the user is less than 2 km. For higher gas prices, distances of approximately 8 km would be viable. However, for source-user distances above 5 km, the water footprint of the collaboration would be higher than that of stand-alone systems.

Exploring insulation levels to enable low-temperature heating in selected buildings in two European climate zones

This study assesses the readiness of selected building types for low-temperature heating. This is accomplished by comprehensively analyzing buildings from two perspectives: first, by determining the level of insulation required for buildings to connect to 4th Generation District Heating, and second, by identifying techno-economically viable solutions to achieve these insulation levels.The authors used OpenStudio to thoroughly examine buildings’ thermal response when the heating supply temperature is reduced from 80 to 45 °C without changing radiators. Under these conditions, the aim was to determine whether the living areas inside the buildings could be maintained at 20 °C throughout the year. Starting from a baseline with no additional insulation and old windows, the study increases the intensity of the renovation packages to assess the minimum requirements needed to maintain the desired 20 °C in the heated areas. An economic feasibility study of the solutions proposed was also conducted. A sensitivity analysis was also performed, adding insight into the impact of energy prices on renovation measures.Eight buildings, encompassing a mix of actual structures and representative archetypes derived from the TABULA project, were examined across two different European climate zones. This study found that unrenovated buildings are particularly unready for low-temperature heating and will struggle to maintain 20 °C, especially during winter. Hence, this study delivers recommendations regarding insulation and heat demand reduction measures necessary to maintain appropriate comfort.The conclusions emphasize the necessity of renovating the building stock based on geographical location to guarantee appropriate indoor comfort when reducing the supply temperature for high-temperature radiators.

District heating system's development decarbonization strategy assessment by system dynamics modeling and multi-criteria analysis

The study introduces a hybrid model that integrates system dynamics modeling and multi-criteria analysis. Through the system dynamics model, the study examines energy, economic, and environmental indicators of a District Heating (DH) company, assessing its dynamics until 2050. Various decarbonization scenarios are explored, involving the transition of the DH system to a 4th generation DH (4GDH) system based on four strategies: utilizing at least (a) 50% Renewable Energy Sources (RES), (b) 50% waste heat, (c) 75% cogenerated heat, or (d) 50% of the combined aforementioned energy and heat. Additionally, development scenarios incorporate measures to enhance energy efficiency on the consumer side and within the heating networks. The sustainability of each scenario is evaluated using the multi-criteria analysis method TOPSIS. The hybrid model establishes a ranking of the transition pathways based on their sustainability scores and benchmarks the results of the developed scenarios against a carbon-neutral DH system. This model serves as a valuable guide for DH system developers and decision-makers. The study focuses on Riga as a practical case study.

Aftercooling concept: An innovative substation ready for 4th generation district heating networks

The transition toward greener district heating (DH) systems is supported by the low-temperature operation of building heating systems. In addition to reducing the DH supply temperature it is necessary to parallelly decrease the DH return temperature. A common bottleneck in lowering DH return temperatures are multi-apartment buildings operating with domestic hot water (DHW) circulation loops. The most common substation design in existing systems heat the DHW circulation using the DHW heat exchanger (HEX). However, as the DHW circulation return temperature is high and the DHW circulation energy demand is relatively high as well, it often results in high DH return temperatures from the building. To address this challenge, this study investigated an innovative design for future-proof DHW substations for large multi-apartment buildings. In the new design, the DHW and DHW circulation loop are decoupled, each utilizing a dedicated HEX for its specific purpose. This new design enables aftercooling the high DH return temperature from the DHW circulation by channeling all, or part, of the return water through the space heating HEX. For the building case examples presented in this study, the DH return temperature reduction potentials are in the range of 5.4 °C–8.3 °C for the 4G temperature profiles.

Exploring the location and use of baseload district heating supply. What can current heat sources tell us about future opportunities?

The decentralization of energy production and recovery of excess heat (EH) to reach climate targets is essential for renewable and fully decarbonized heating systems. This paper identifies current and potential industrial EH sources providing baseload capacity for district heating (DH) systems. These sources are evaluated by sector and process for supplying baseload capacities explored for current 3rd generation district heating (3GDH) and 4th generation district heating (4GDH) systems with lower grid temperatures and losses, with and without expansions. The method combines geographical analysis and available baseload capacity estimations for 360 Danish DH systems scenario-making and an additional sensitivity analysis evaluating baseload capacity full-load hours. It is found that 80 % of Danish DH systems have an unmet baseload capacity of 50 % or higher. Half of the systems have geothermal capacity available and up to 20 % of industrial EH baseload capacity potential, which sums up to 5 PJ of EH potential within a 2 km distance. The findings also suggest that there is an additional opportunity for the placement of future energy infrastructure able to supply EH, which is highly contextual and strategic in heat planning, particularly considering the future development of sustainable and energy-efficient DH systems.

Determination of components for heat storage material

Today, the world is transitioning to the 4th and 5th Generation District Heating (GDH) systems of heating networks. The main advantages of 4GDH and 5GDH are the reduction of the temperature of the coolant to +50 – +60°C and the use of various designs and operating principles of thermal energy storage. Therefore, special attention is devoted to the search for new types of coolants, heat-accumulating materials and research of their properties and determination of optimal operating modes. One of the energy storage systems that has become widespread in recent years is the mobile thermal energy storage (M-TES) that has tanks filled with heat storage material. Specially created heat storage materials are often used, which work under the necessary technological conditions and meet the strict conditions of safe transportation of liquids. This article is devoted to the search for new components for the creation of heat storage material, which will be used in capacitor-type TES together with the “thermal core”, which is created from a material with a phase transition. As a result of experimental studies of the thermocycling process of water and aqueous solutions, depending on the components added, the priority components such as guar gum and xanthan gum were chosen.

Dynamic simulation of a 4th generation district heating network with the presence of prosumers

District Heating Network is identified as a promising technology for decarbonizing urban areas. Thanks to the surplus of heat available from distributed renewable energy plants, a typical heat consumer of the network could become an energy producer during the day (typically referred to as a “prosumer”). Most of the models for thermal grids developed during past years usually assumed a centralized production of the consumed heat. The increasing presence of prosumers will require accurate dynamic modelling to monitor the changes induced in the thermohydraulic parameters of the network. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper aims at developing a model of a thermal grid with prosumers in the TRNSYS environment. The model allows for the dynamic monitoring of the main thermohydraulic parameters of the network. To show these capabilities, a ring-shaped network serving a cluster of 10 residential users located in Palermo (Italy) was assumed as the case study. Different scenarios are investigated based on the presence of solar collectors, prosumers along the network, and cooling by an absorption chiller. The achievable energy and emissions savings are calculated. The results of the study show that even only decreasing the operating temperature can significantly reduce heat losses via the network pipes. In particular, a temperature drop from 100 °C to 80 °C can reduce heat losses by 27.1%. Furthermore, the heat losses can be decreased by up to 52.8% when the network temperature is lowered from 100 °C to 60 °C. Additionally, the presence of prosumers and the solar field could lead to a 31.3% reduction in the energy produced by the centralized plant and a 17.6% reduction in energy consumed for pumping.

4th generation district heating (4GDH) in developing countries: Low-temperature networks, prosumers and demand-side measures

The aim is locating low-cost renovation measures to support the efficiency of district heating (DH). The topology analysis and GIS Zulu© are applied for hydraulic simulation and to verify the scenario viability. The scenarios are compared by life cycle cost, levelized cost of heat (LCoH), capital and operational costs, energy production and consumption, network length, heat losses, linear heat density, heat pump usage, peak load reduction, nominal power duration or the equivalent full load time. As demand-side measures (DSM), improved control, thermostats with an indoor temperature sensor and variable frequency drive (VFD) pumps reduce heat demand. Prosumer scenario imply installing a base-load heat pump. It means a consumer no longer receives heat from the DH system, because the households are now adapted to lower space heating (SH) supply temperature. Prosumer concept also allows placing a heat pump on the DH return line. The simplest configuration includes only the booster heat pump and domestic hot water (DHW) tank storages enough to cover morning or evening consumption peak. To limit piping cost, only supply and return pipes are considered for low-temperature DH, no additional (service) pipes or mixing valves are assumed. Converting single-family houses to prosumers decreases energy consumption, primary network flows and temperatures. LCoH ranges 19.7-35.4 EUR/MWh, depends on the decommissioned pipe length and its proportional pipe investment cost. LCoH decreases as the share of consumers converted to prosumers increases. Discounted payback time is 10 years for DSM and 41 years for prosumer case. For a base-load heat pump, the payback time is much higher than the reference scenario. It implies the same share of heat losses (16% of heat supplied from the CHP plant) with generally worse environmental and energy saving effect due to higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and higher consumption of primary energy. Energy production is expected to follow the pattern of the useful energy consumption to compensate heat losses. The effects are decreasing residential heat demand (-4%), additional capacity to connect new consumers (+6%) and decreasing the network length.

The benefits of low-carbon energy efficiency technology adoption for data centres

Economies are struggling to achieve a low-carbon transition while also fostering increased digitalisation. EU-level targets for renewable generation, emissions reduction and energy efficiency present a unique challenge for Ireland which features substantial intermittent renewable generation, limited district heating and data centres forecast to consume 37% of national electricity demand by 2028. This study quantifies the key private and public benefits associated with large-scale adoption of energy efficiency technology for data centre cooling. It considers technology that provides cooling to data centres, surplus hot water supply and electricity storage. A unique plant-level model informs a national forecast of data centre energy savings and estimates of hot water supply for use in district heating. National public benefits of adoption are quantified using a power systems model (ENGINE) of the Irish transmission system, subject to 2030 climate policy constraints. Results show that technology adoption could lower sectoral energy use by 26% and supply 12.40 TWh of hot water for a 4th generation district heating network. Technology adoption could reduce renewable electricity generation requirements by 6.92% and lower system-wide emissions by 3%. Results highlight the potential for technology adoption to deliver multiple benefits to private and public stakeholders.

Solar-assisted district heating networks: Development and experimental validation of a novel simulation tool for the energy optimization

Due to the growing interest in 4th and 5th generation district heating systems, characterized by lower working fluid temperatures compared to the past, poligenerative solar-assisted networks are experiencing increasing attention from the research community. In this framework, the adoption of large solar-based thermal systems will become more common for such applications. Therefore, optimising the design and operation of each solar field servicing a specific network will be crucial to improving its overall performance. In this context, the objective of the current research is to develop a method to maximise the performance of solar-assisted poligenerative district heating networks by optimising each associated solar system separately. To this end, a novel dynamic simulation tool for solar thermal field design and optimization has been developed and experimentally calibrated in the Simulink/Simscape environment. The tool is capable of investigating innovative control logics, and accurately assessing both the thermal and hydraulic behaviour of the systems. The latter is one of its novelty, as ignoring the hydronic behaviour of the system can lead to the adoption of flawed design or control logic. The resulting tool will enable accurate optimization of the design and management of each solar field servicing a given district heating network, thereby improving the efficiency of the system as a whole. In order to demonstrate the viability of the proposed method and the capabilities of the developed simulation tool, a proof-of-concept analysis is conducted on an existing solar thermal field serving the Geneva district heating network. Diverse control logics (including Rule-Based and Model Predictive Control) are evaluated for the selected case study. The performed analysis demonstrates that the proposed method has the potential to accomplish significant primary energy reductions (up to 10.3%) and CO2 emissions avoidance (up to 10.9 tCO2/year).

Optimization framework for evaluating urban thermal systems potential

The increase in space cooling demand worldwide calls more than ever for efficient ways to meet buildings combined hot and cold demands. Building scale technologies present interesting advantages such as modularity but also numerous drawbacks such as architectural issues, urban heat island effect, low efficiency and stress on the electrical network. Yet, a literature gap exists regarding the optimal equilibrium between local and centralized thermal equipment. This paper presents a framework to evaluate the performances of urban thermal architectures. It relies on an existing building typology database to derive hourly profiles of space heating, space cooling and domestic hot water demands. An object-oriented energy hub implementation eases the gathering of production, storage and distribution components. Optimal components are finally selected through a MILP-based optimization. The framework application shows its abilities to sort pre identified thermal architectures by performance level. For the addressed case studies, 4th generation district heating (4GDH) performs the best regarding CO2 emissions and exergy destruction, while 2GDH is often cost-effective. In the selected configurations, 5thgeneration district heating and cooling (5 GHDC) performs hardly better than individual solutions. The use of different components depending on the techno-economic context indicates the need to challenge many solutions, which is possible using the framework.

Modelling of 4th generation district heating systems integrated with different thermal energy storage technologies – Methodology

A model was established that allows the simulation and analysis of the performance of a district heating (DH) system supplied with heat generated from renewable sources (RHS) and a selection of different types of thermal energy storage (TES) systems. The model uses hourly weather data, building specifications and occupancies to calculate i) hourly domestic heat demands for both space and domestic hot water heating and ii) hourly heat produced by RHS. The heat flow to and from sources to loads and TES systems is calculated on an hourly basis. The model calculates hourly heat losses from dwellings, TES and pipes, and takes into consideration recent research related to latent and thermochemical heat storage systems. The model developed enables the analysis of the effects of different district heating system operating parameters (including installed capacity and penetration of different RHS, thermal energy storage capacity, number and distribution of TES) on system cost and system energy efficiency. The ultimate goal of developing the model was the determination of a system specification and operating conditions that i) minimises cost and ii) maximises the overall energy efficiency of the network while ensuring that domestic heat demands are met on an hourly basis for a specified time-period in an existing or planned town or urban area.

Comparison of Suitable Business Models for the 5th Generation District Heating System Implementation through Game Theory Approach

Abstract District Heating and Cooling (DHC) technology is widely recognised as a promising solution for reducing primary energy consumption and emissions. The 5th Generation District Heating and Cooling (5GDHC) network is the latest DHC concept characterised by low-temperature supply, bi-directional heating network operation, decentralised energy flows, and surplus heat sharing. Unlike the 4th Generation District Heating (4GDH) technology, the 5GDHC technology switched to a consumer/prosumer-oriented perspective. The introduction of 5GDHC solutions requires high investments, an important barrier to further developing DHC systems. Therefore, a novel pricing and business model could include introducing co-owners or energy managers into the system. Three different local market business models for 5GDHC at the community level have been tested. The reverse technical and economic simulation has been used for a feasibility study to determine the resources, business models, and combinations closest to the break-even point with lower costs and higher gains for all involved stakeholders.

A Novel H2O/LiBr Absorption Heat Pump with Condensation Heat Recovery for Combined Heating and Cooling Production: Energy Analysis for Different Applications

The aim of this study is to analyze the feasibility of the single-effect H2O/LiBr absorption heat pump cycle to produce combined heating and cooling. To achieve this, first, the main changes that the absorption cycle requires are described in comparison with the conventional single-effect absorption chiller. Then, the cycle’s operational limits in terms of temperature lift and LiBr crystallization are evaluated. In this sense, driving heat temperatures required for these applications range from 85 °C to 120 °C. The energy and exergy performance (in terms of cooling and heating capacities, cooling and heating coefficient of performance, and exergy coefficient of performance) of the cycle is theoretically studied for five different types of applications that require simultaneous heating and cooling: building air conditioning, a 4th generation district heating and cooling network, a sports center with an indoor swimming pool, a hybrid air conditioning system with an absorption heat pump and a desiccant evaporative cooling system, and simultaneous cooling and water purification application for coastal areas. The system performance in terms of the cooling coefficient of performance varies in the range of 0.812–0.842, in terms of heating coefficient of performance from 0.58 to 1.842, and in terms of exergy coefficient of performance from 0.451 to 0.667. The application with the highest exergy coefficient of performance is the 4th generation district heating and cooling network.

Demand side digitalisation: A methodology using heat cost allocators and energy meters to secure low-temperature operations in existing buildings connected to district heating networks

With regard to the green transition toward 4th generation district heating (4GDH), a critical element is ensuring low operating temperatures in networks. This can help leverage the technical and economic potential of connecting renewable energy sources and recovering excess local heat. Poorly controlled and operated heating systems in existing building stocks limit the possibility of lowering the operating temperatures of district heating networks. Hence, digitalising the demand side can afford new opportunities for building services by monitoring heating systems and improving operations to secure the expected comfort in existing buildings with lower temperatures. Accordingly, this study investigated the innovative use and integration of data from heat cost allocators, district heating energy meters, and temperature sensors to improve space heating system operations. Based on the measurements, the methodology focused on identifying the critical flat in the building with the highest heat demand and calculating the minimum possible operating temperature. Five Danish multi-family buildings were considered as case studies in the investigations, highlighting good agreement between the new weather-compensated control curve and the measurements. Almost 75% of the total space heating consumption was distributed under outdoor temperatures exceeding 0 °C in 2021, whereas only 0.5% was associated with the lowest outdoor temperature of −9 °C. This clearly suggests that design conditions rarely occur during the typical operation of systems and that the radiators are oversized and suitable for operation at low temperatures for most of the heating season. Notably, it was documented that supply temperatures of 48–53 °C were sufficient to secure the expected comfort at an outdoor temperature of 0 °C, without any extensive energy renovation in the buildings.

Integrating a heat pump into a 4th generation district heating (4GDH) system – Two-mode configuration inputting operational data

The aim is to examine integrating a heat pump (HP) into a district heating (DH) system versus potential savings in the separate scenario. It takes into account all the properties of both DH system and a HP operation, and gives the understanding of temperature, pressure and enthalpy of refrigerant at each cycle point. Contribution to the pool of knowledge is considering a novel configuration, which allows to get rid of a heat exchanger between the water-source HP and the network. Scenarios of (i) separate operation of a HP, and (ii) integrating it into a DH system and inputting design data only, or (iii) utilizing operational data have been analyzed. Multiple thermal simulations have been performed. We also allow traditional coverage of heat demand with the help of a supply line of high-temperature DH (HTDH), thus elaborated what happens when the outdoor air temperature drops below lower threshold. Hence, the model identifies two stages of operating a HP integrated into a DH system. Starting from it, the temperature of the supply water should be 50 °C and above, so it is more effective to use supply water directly until the outdoor temperature rises again. This outdoor temperature implies change of operational mode, which leads to the following results. On cold winter days, the available amount of heat is lower than the energy consumption, therefore, energy from a supply line of HTDH is utilized, which gives overall energy saving effect of about 14 %. Mass flow rates through the configuration suggested are identical during moderate-cold fall and spring days, since the control logic is established with the help of variation of supply temperature only. Single HP has the lowest efficiency because of high temperatures needed: with a nominal temperature difference of 25 °C, the coefficient of performance (COP) rises to 5.0 only. At the break-even point, HP in each configuration has COP ranging between 3.51 and 4.43, while the rest of the time COP is just above 2. In different cases, the lowest threshold of HP's performance is 2.4, 2.6, and 2.89, respectively. The DH-assisted scenario, where peak energy demand was covered by DH system directly, clearly outperformed separate installation, where a HP was the only thing responsible to provide the necessary supply temperatures. For this case, lower COP stipulates less energy is supplied from the DH system, and therefore a lower share of consumption is supplied directly from supply line, which decreases the overall seasonal COP. Scenario (iii) of inputting DH operational data has the highest seasonal COPs, reasoned to higher than design return temperatures. Given the low performance of a HP raising water temperature to 55 °C (the lowest threshold acceptable in winter) a single HP with no backup capacity accounts for 23 % more energy use. Supported by a coal-fired combined heat-and-power plant, distribution of primary energy consumption is more favorable, i.e. coal-fired generation covers the peak. The positive effect is expanded by converting a part of heat demand from HP operation to cheaper HTDH operation.

The benefits of 4th generation district heating and energy efficient datacentres

This paper identifies the energy system benefits of transitioning district heating infrastructure from current 3rd generation district heating (3GDH) to 4th generation district heating (4GDH) with lower grid temperatures and more integration with other energy sectors. Previous papers have investigated the effect of going from 3GDH to 4GDH on a local perspective. In this paper it is investigated how this transition affects the energy system on a national level, where both the costs and energy effects are evaluated based on national hourly energy systems simulations including all energy sectors in a climate neutral energy system scenario. Moreover, the paper identifies the effects of different cooling solutions in datacentres. The analyses include effects on heat sources as well as the effect on the cost and losses in the district heating grid. This is done for the case of Denmark. In the case of Denmark, it is found that transitioning from 3GDH to 4GDH decreases the system cost by 220 M EUR/year, corresponding to 7 M EUR/TWh delivered heat at the end-user. Increasing the temperature outlet of datacentre waste heat has a value for the system as high as 52–59 M EUR/year, corresponding to 1.7–1.9 M EUR/TWh delivered heating at the end-user.

The new method for hydraulic calculations of a district heating (DH) network

How to estimate the exact value of pressure losses within a district heating (DH) network been in service for decades, which a pump at pumping station should compensate to achieve maximum benefits and the lowest costs relative to the scenario of the started process of transition to 4th generation district heating (4GDH)? Geographic Information System (GIS) software Zulu© was used to model a DH network and evaluate how specific location will affect hot water flow rates. Pressure, roughness and hydraulic resistance profiles were plotted using hydraulic optimisation software ZuluThermo©– GIS Zulu© add-in. While the new arrangement does not reduce pressure losses themselves, the corrected arrangement provides economic advantage due to lower operation costs and more stable hydraulic profiles. That means that end sections of DH network between the transmission line and consumers become more effective. By calculating pressure loss and temperature degradation the method also allows to detect an optimum location to connect a new consumer where the minimum modernisation is needed. Working with data-driven network models makes it possible to obtain a lot of positive effects at the same time including the main - the DH utility sells more heat and becomes more profitable as the losses are lower. • To ensure low-temperature energy supply, its consumption for pumping is assessed. • Steady-state calculation method is used to evaluate pressure and flow distribution. • To verify, portable ultrasonic flow rate meter&traditional pressure sensors are used. • Electricity consumption is decreased by 394.74 kW, the saving effect is up to 6%. • Effect is achieved by lowering losses, clarifying friction factor&relative roughness.

Involving 4th generation district heating technologies: residential buildings in remote areas of Russia

This study aims to justify the possibility of expanding the energy and economic efficiency of a district heating [DH] system. The case study territory is a remote area of the Omsk region (Russia); the method is electric heating. To address this issue, we (1) considered the potential of modernizing these DH systems, (2) analyzed available options, (3) designed the main and auxiliary heat generation equipment, and (4) committed a feasibility study. The design heat consumption was 0.24 MW. To achieve this goal, we suggested two heat pumps; their capacity was 280 kW, and the investment required to install two heat pumps of 150 kW was 2.6 billion rubles. The total capital cost was 4.0 billion rubles. The annual effect after the heat pumps were installed was 0.7 billion rubles. The payback period was 5.6 years; to decrease it, one should install multiple heat pumps on the consumer side. The reason is to avoid heat distribution losses. Replacing traditional DH plants with electric boilers is feasible only if the cost of heat is 6,600 rubles per MWh or above. This cost has already been achieved for several DH plants. Ground source heat pumps are viable at lower prices, approximately 4,100 rubles per MWh. This option is especially helpful in remote areas of the Omsk region where the billing tariff is already high. When modernizing the heat supply infrastructure of the northern areas of the Omsk region, one can increase annual electricity consumption by 6%, decrease tariffs, and become more ecologically friendly at the same time.