29 January 2024
Annex 56 Digitalization and IoT for Heat Pumps Task 4: Business Models
Today, more and more devices are connected to the Internet and can interact due to increasing digitalization – the Internet of Things (IoT). In the energy transition, digital technologies are intended to enable flexible energy generation and consumption in various sectors, thus leading to greater use of renewable energies. This also applies to heat pumps and their components. The IoT Annex explores the opportunities and challenges of connected heat pumps in household applications and industrial environment. There are a variety of new use cases and services for IoT enabled heat pumps. Data can be used for preventive analytics, such as what-if analysis for operation decisions, predictive maintenance, fine-tuning of the operation parameters and benchmarking. Connected heat pumps allow for demand response to reduce peak load and to optimize electricity consumption, e.g. as a function of the electricity price. Digitalization in industry can range from automated equipment, advanced process control systems to connected supply value chains. IoT enabled heat pumps allow for integration in the process control system and into a high level energy management system, which can be used for overall optimization of the process. IoT is also associated to different important risks and requirements to connectivity, data analysis, privacy and security for a variety of stakeholders. Therefore, this Annex has a broad scope looking at different aspects of digitalization and creates a knowledge base on connected heat pumps. The Annex aims to provide information for heat pump manufacturers, component manufacturers, system integrators and other actors involved in IoT. The Annex is structured in 5 tasks: Task 4 – Business Models
This task evaluates market opportunities created by connected heat pumps and presents different types of IoT services and business models based on literature and market research including detailed SWOT analyses (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).