Using the Ecovat system to supply the heat demand of a neighbourhood

In this paper we present a demand side management control approach for a neighbourhood, which includes a seasonal thermal storage, called the Ecovat system. The Ecovat system is used to satisfy the heat demand of this neighbourhood instead of gas boilers, which are currently used in most Dutch houses for this purpose. We observe that an Ecovat system is capable of supplying the heat demand of such a neighbourhood throughout the year, even if the heat demand is unexpectedly high, for example due to a harsh winter. As benefits we observe an 86.8 to 91.8% reduction in electricity fed back to the grid as well as a reduction in the amount of CO₂ emitted yearly by 91.4 up to 138.8 ton, when using an Ecovat system instead of gas boilers to satisfy the heat demand of the neighbourhood.