Why it is not possible to install an apartment heat meter in houses with a vertical connection

The installation of heat meters is frequently regarded as a wise decision when it comes to controlling energy consumption in residential buildings. By tracking individual usage, these devices support fair billing and energy efficiency. However, installing heat meters can be difficult in structures with vertical connections, like apartment complexes. This article examines the reasons why installing apartment heat meters in these kinds of buildings isn’t always practical.

Many apartments in a typical vertically connected apartment building share a single heating system. Each apartment receives heat from this centralized system via a system of pipes and radiators. Although the residents find this arrangement convenient, it is challenging to measure each person’s energy consumption precisely.

The way heat is distributed throughout the building is one of the main obstacles. Heat rises when there is a vertical connection between the lower and upper floors. Accordingly, apartments on higher floors typically experience greater heat transfer than apartments on lower levels. Because of this, installing a heat meter in every apartment might not accurately reflect the amount of energy used, which could result in billing errors.

Additionally, the layout of vertical connection buildings can complicate the installation process. Many times, major structural changes and inconveniences to the occupants are necessary in order to gain access to the plumbing and heating systems in these buildings. It may not be feasible to install individual heat meters in these older buildings due to the associated costs and logistical difficulties.

In addition, there are technical and regulatory factors to consider. Certain types of buildings may not be able to install heat meters due to local building codes and regulations. Furthermore, it can be difficult to integrate heat meters into pre-existing heating systems; this requires specialized knowledge and tools.

Notwithstanding these obstacles, there exist substitute approaches to enhance energy management in structures featuring vertical connections. These could involve encouraging energy-efficient behaviors among inhabitants and putting energy-saving measures like insulation upgrades and heating system controls to the best use. Even though individual heat meters might not be practical in every situation, apartment buildings can still improve energy efficiency and guarantee equitable billing.

Types of heating systems

Different heating systems are used to provide heat to multi-storey residential and commercial buildings. Most often used systems that use a liquid coolant, which flows through the pipes to the heating radiators. The heated liquid heats the sections of the radiator, and from them the air in the room is heated. The classic scheme of such a heating system implies the presence of many elements – hot water or heating boiler, expansion tank, control equipment, radiators and pipes through which the coolant arrives. All, it would seem, simple and elementary, but there are several essential points that determine the specificity of each system. And this specificity consists, first of all, in the variant of organization of delivery of the heated coolant to each particular point of connection of the system and removal of the cooled coolant from it.

Single-pipe heating system

The first point is how the pipes are connected to the radiator. In this regard, it should be understood that in a private house or apartment with a separate heating boiler can be realized one of two schemes – one-pipe and two-pipe. This is important because there is a fundamental difference – in a single-pipe coolant is sequentially supplied to the batteries, and after the first radiator cooled coolant enters the second, where it cools even more, and after the last battery, having passed all points, again returns to the heating boiler. Schematically, such a scheme is a single pipe with small extensions, in the form of radiators. The scheme provides the flow of coolant with minimal losses and can be used in both open and closed heating systems.

The advantage of this scheme is simplicity and convenience of construction, ease of installation and cheapness. From the disadvantages it is worth mentioning uneven heating of the room and the possibility of application only in one-storey layouts of the scheme, as well as big problems in the installation of temperature control devices in the rooms on the radiators. In addition, the scheme requires the installation of a large number of taps and valves, so that if necessary not to completely drain the coolant when repairing one battery. Although on the other hand, if the radiators are connected in a diagonal scheme, then to shut off the movement of coolant in the system, one way or another will have to.

Two-pipe heating system

Two-pipe heating system compared to a single-pipe system has a number of advantages. First of all, it consists in the fact that each individual battery is approached by a branch from the pipe with heated coolant. After giving out heat, the cooled coolant also goes to a separate pipe. Thus, the two-pipe system provides a more efficient scheme of coolant supply to radiators. If shut-off valves are available, it is possible to shut off the water supply to the radiator sections, and thus reduce the temperature in a particular room. This construction of the heating system helps to ensure and repair the battery is enough to close the taps on the radiator to proceed to the repair, while the heating is not disconnected, and the system works properly in other rooms.

An additional benefit of this system is that it can be used for low-rise residential buildings. A two-storey building’s plumbing can be made perfectly with this scheme.

Regarding the drawbacks, keep in mind that installing twice as many direct supply and return pipes will require more pipework. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep in mind that a one- or two-pipe system is defined as a heating system for one or a maximum of two floors, which isn’t entirely appropriate for an apartment building with three or more stories. Furthermore, these schemes are frequently used for individual heat supply, in situations where the individual consumer’s gas, electricity, or liquid fuel consumption meters suffice and no additional heat meter needs to be installed.

Heating schemes for multi-storey apartment buildings

An additional scenario is if the apartment is housed in a multi-story apartment complex. If central heating is being used, a heat meter is needed for both planning and resource metering. However, as was already mentioned, installing such devices is not always possible. The vertical heating layout is one of the causes of this. Multiple variations of pipe layouts are used in the heat supply schemes of multi-story homes with central heating. One of the most widely used plumbing designs is the vertical heating system.

The coolant is delivered to the house via a single main pipe, which is the fundamental component of this distribution system. It is dispersed throughout the house via a number of vertical channels that carry heated water to the top floor. Water continues down the pipe to the radiators and then enters the return pipe after going through every pipe in the basement.

One-pipe scheme of vertical wiring of the heating system

This is a general layout for a multi-story building’s heat supply, but there are a few things to consider when installing heat meters. One of these points is that there are two types of vertical heating systems: single-pipe and two-pipe.

A single-pipe scheme for vertical heating can have an upper or lower connection. In the first scenario, coolant is supplied upwards, where it is distributed on distinct risers—vertical pipes that carry hot water to the radiators—on the technical floor or attic. Water is supplied by the riser to the installed radiators on each floor. It then travels through the battery’s cavity and descends to the floor below. Although this plan saves money on pipes for floor distribution and radiator connections, it has several drawbacks:

• the scheme is very static – it is quite difficult to change or improve it;
• To provide additional connection of radiators will not bring a gain in heat output – the temperature in the room will not increase significantly;
• in the apartment installation of a heat meter will be ineffective – the device fixes the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the individual consumer, and here it turns out that it is necessary to install a heat meter on each radiator;
• In addition, this one-pipe system is used in systems with natural circulation of the coolant, which makes the fixation of temperature changes ineffective because of the small difference in temperature of the coolant.

Two-pipe scheme of vertical distribution of the heating system of an apartment building

A vertical heating system with two-pipe wiring is slightly different from the single-pipe variant. This scheme provides for the lower location of the supply pipe and the water return pipe. The coolant is supplied through the main pipe up to the highest point, each battery has its own independent connection to the supply pipe. The radiators have the same individual connection to the coolant outlet pipe. The advantage of this option is the ability to independently regulate the temperature of the radiator by adjusting the water supply tap. Another important point in contrast to the single-pipe system is the possibility to independently drain the air from the system, through a valve installed in the radiator. In a single-pipe system, if there is a blowout, then the whole riser stops, and to drain the air in this case will have to be at the highest point – otherwise the riser will not work.

Two-pipe systems make it possible to quickly install and connect a radiator without stopping the boiler; all that is needed to fix a radiator is to turn off the taps.

The two-pipe scheme is appealing because it can achieve maximum heat output without requiring a large number of radiators to be installed. Even with a limited quantity of batteries, the system functions fairly well. However, there is still one crucial detail that needs to be considered in order to account for the thermal energy used: installing heat meters on each battery is just not practical. Installing a community meter or one meter per entrance can achieve essentially normal energy consumption metering; however, the true benefit will only accrue to the occupants of the house’s first floors.

There are several obstacles that make installing apartment heat meters in buildings with vertical connections impractical in many situations. The complexity of vertical piping systems, which frequently lack customized heating circuits for each apartment, is one of the main causes. Rather, these systems usually have a shared heating network that heats several units by means of steam or hot water.

It becomes very difficult to measure heat consumption accurately for each apartment without separate heating circuits. The flow and temperature of water or steam entering and leaving individual apartments are monitored by apartment heat meters. Accurately isolating each apartment’s heat consumption is nearly impossible in buildings with vertical connections due to the shared heating network.

Moreover, installing apartment heat meters into existing vertical piping systems can be extremely costly and disruptive. In contrast to horizontal piping systems, where customized meters can be installed with greater ease, vertical connections frequently necessitate significant adjustments in order to successfully integrate metering devices.

If installation were possible, there would still be difficulties in maintaining apartment heat meters in buildings with vertical connections. Residents may experience disruptions and increased service costs if specialized equipment and knowledge are needed to access meters situated within vertical piping systems.

In summary, although installing apartment heat meters can result in financial and energy efficiency gains, it is not a workable option for structures having vertical connections. Effective implementation of this technology is hampered by the intricacies of vertical piping systems as well as the difficulties associated with maintenance and retrofitting. It is advisable to investigate alternative methods of energy management and conservation for these kinds of buildings, considering their particular constraints and features.

Installing separate heat meters for every unit in a building with vertically connected apartments can be challenging. This is due to the fact that measuring individual usage is challenging because the heat distribution system depends on a shared vertical connection. It is impractical to install meters without major alterations in vertical connections because shared pipes are frequently involved, unlike in horizontally connected buildings where individual heating lines serve each unit. Accurate metering can be made more difficult by the potential for heat to transfer between units caused by vertical connections. For equitable and useful billing, it may be more practical to use alternative techniques, such as splitting heating costs according to floor area or occupancy, in buildings with vertical connections.

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