Closing Online Webinar

Demand Management of Buildings in Thermal Networks (Annex 84)

Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025

Time: 09:00 to 11:30 (Join the webinar link)

Introduction

As buildings become smarter with connected devices and sensors, they offer new opportunities for improving the indoor comfort of occupants while reducing energy costs and environmental impact. District heating and cooling (DHC) systems are among the most sustainable solutions for meeting heating and cooling needs in densely populated areas, nd buildings connected to these networks can act as decentralized thermal energy storage (TES) units solving the operational challenges arriving from integration of intermittent energy sources and heat electrification. Despite extensive research on energy-flexible buildings and demand response (DR), large-scale adoption in DHC systems remains limited due to challenges in integration, economic feasibility, and regulatory compliance. Over the past four years, IEA Annex 84 has explored these challenges looking into the new potential arriving from digitalization of the demand side and the knowledge captured in the case studies.

This closing webinar aims to present key findings from Annex 84 and foster discussions on the remaining barriers to effective interoperability between buildings and DHC networks.

Agenda

9:00 – 9:15 Introduction to the seminar and IEA Annex 84

9:15 – 10:00: Block 1 – Societal and technological challenges

10:00 – 10:15: Break

10:15 – 11:00: Block 2 – Digitalization challenges and case studies

11:00 – 11:30 Block 3 – Q&A session and overall discussion

Registration

Please follow the registration link to register to the webinar.