China's thermal energy meter has a good market prospect

With the reform of China's hot water heating system, after the relay meter, water meter, and gas meter, the heat meter has quickly entered the household. As a measuring instrument for heating settlement, its accuracy influences the interests of heating companies and consumers. The China National Institute of Metrology recently developed a standard device for measuring hot water and calories, which lays a solid technical foundation for promoting China's heating metering reform and the use of heat meters.

According to incomplete statistics from the relevant departments, there are several million boilers used in the heating of houses in China, and the annual trade settlement for heating is up to several hundred billion yuan. Therefore, accurate measurement and scientific and reasonable fees have become a major issue that affects the interests of heating companies and residents. For a long time, hot water heating has been settled by the heating area. There are many drawbacks to this “charging fee” heating method. Many heating companies cannot collect fees, seriously affecting the enthusiasm of heating companies, causing a decline in the quality of heating, and also causing dissatisfaction among residents. The phenomenon of refusing to pay heating bills is relatively common, thus creating a vicious cycle between supply and demand. Since the heating fee is charged by area, even if there is no person living in the house, the heating does not stop. When the heating was overheated, residents would rather open the window and would not tighten the valve. It is understood that the energy consumption of the “package fee system” is 20% higher than the way of charging by heat. This situation causes a lot of wasted energy.

A heat meter refers to a measuring instrument that absorbs or releases heat in a heat flow circuit and is the basis of heat metering. In developed countries, especially in Europe, it is very common for heat to be charged according to the amount of calories consumed, and the use of hot water heat meters is also very popular. As the basis and means for heat companies to charge each household, heat meters have been accepted by people. Since heat is directly related to their own expenses, people's awareness of energy conservation has been enhanced.

At present, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Jinan and other cities have already carried out the reform of the heat charge. According to relevant sources, there will be 50 million hot water heat meters in use in the country in the next few years. With the deepening of heating reform, the demand for heat meters will form a huge market.

As the heat energy meter will be widely used in residential buildings, the AQSIQ will manage it as a key management instrument, requiring mandatory mandatory inspections before installation and use. In order to meet the needs of the use of thermal energy meters, the state, provincial and municipal legal metrology verification agencies must be equipped with heat meter standard devices for the first mandatory test before the installation of heat meters, product stereotypes identification test, product quality supervision and spot checks, product quality arbitration. At the same time, manufacturers of heat energy meters also need these devices when designing, setting and testing the products.

China's hot water metering has always been relatively backward and there is no high-level heat standard device. According to the market demand and relevant regulations of the country, the China Academy of Metrology Science and Technology started the project from 2000 and carried out the research on the standard device for the measurement of hot water and calories. This device is mainly used for quantitative transmission of heat energy meter.

In recent years, some provincial and municipal metrology institutes have successively established thermal energy meter verification devices. Their principles and structure are basically the same as those of China Institute of Metrology, but their technical specifications are different. The hot water calorie measurement standard device project carried out by the China Institute of Metrology Sciences is based on the unified national calorie value, and therefore achieved a breakthrough in the technical indicators. Compared with the current heat meter verification devices throughout the country, the flow range and temperature range of this device are the widest in the country, covering the measurement range of the provincial and municipal metrology institutes. The uncertainty is the smallest in the country. This laid the foundation for future work on the comparison of caloric values.

Expert appraisal opinion believes that the hot water calorie measurement standard device project is based on unified national calorific value, and its main technical indicators have reached the domestic leading level. This set of standard equipment can bear the heat meter's new product type identification and domestic comparison work, and has certain economic benefits and obvious social benefits. Its successful development has provided strong technical support for the reform of heating settlement methods.