Independent expertise
The Energy Agency St. Gallen, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Foundation Energy Efficiency provide the WP-cockpit free of charge for end users.
According to the task of the focus group “Heat Pump Efficiency” (Energy Agency St. Gallen), the organizations work together on a voluntary basis to develop an open and generally accessible European data platform, on which heat pump operating data are compiled, presented and analyzed. This should enable all interested parties to measure the efficiency of existing and new heat pumps and to optimize them on the basis of the results and recommendations for action derived from them. The cooperation of the non-profit and for-profit partners is based on the code of the sustainable data platform.
Since 2019, the association “WP Cockpit” together with the Energy Agency St. Gallen provides access to the online data platform “WP Cockpit” to interested parties (info sheet). The Energy Agency St. Gallen GmbH serves as a contact and information point. The starting point for the foundation of the association was that in the canton of St. Gallen the installation of measuring devices for the collection of heat pump operating data is promoted. However, the collected data is hardly used. At the same time, experience shows that about half of the heat pumps in operation today are not performing optimally. They often achieve only half the annual performance factor and their energy efficiency is thus far below the target value.
Fraunhofer ISE has many years of experience in heat pump technology and its expertise covers its entire value chain (heat pump technology topics). The Institute is dedicated to the development or further development of materials and various components: “We test and inspect individual devices, investigate different heat pump systems under real conditions in the field and consider the embedding of the devices in the overall energy system. In doing so, we work closely with our partners and customers from industry and research.”
Since 2006, energy-check monitoring has been used for quality assurance and operational optimization of efficient and renewable heating systems. The core is the standardized recording of relevant parameters on efficiency, emissions and costs as well as transparent information on the operating results of e.g. heat pump systems. Energy-check is used to ensure that the operating figures, such as annual performance factors, are as intended and guaranteed in the case of warranty contracts. The foundation is committed to including standards for the quality assurance of heat generators in legislation.
For automatic metering, a certified metering set was agreed with Engelmann Sensor GmbH on the basis of the sustainable data platform code.
Engelmann GmbH specializes in the measurement, recording and transmission of heat and water quantity data. The digitalization of processes and the associated transparency of consumption data are the basis for sustainable energy management. For more than 40 years, the company has focused on this task and is now the market leader for heat & cooling meters.