Improving the reliability and cost-effectiveness of urban and municipal heat supply systems

Introduction. Despite the significant scale and importance of the heat supply sector for the country’s housing and public utilities, a number of persistent issues have accumulated in its operation, reducing both its reliability and economic efficiency. This underscores the need to identify directions for enhancing the performance and dependability of heat supply systems through the rational use of energy resources and to develop a comprehensive system of performance indicators. In line with Russia’s strategic policy documents, energy conservation is a priority for the development of the national energy sector, including urban heat supply, which creates opportunities to improve system reliability by reducing failures across networks and sources and to enhance cost-effectiveness through the rational use of energy resources.

Materials and methods. The research applied logical analysis and systematisation methods. An analysis of publicly available data sources and expert studies in the field of heat supply made it possible to summarise and systematise practical experience in implementing energy-saving measures across the generation, transmission, and consumption stages of thermal energy.

Results. A comprehensive set of measures aimed at improving the reliability and cost-effectiveness of heat supply through the rational use of energy resources has been developed and systematised. In addition, a framework of performance indicators has been designed to assess the effectiveness of heat-supply operations in the urban and municipal sectors, reflecting improvements in reliability and cost-effectiveness resulting from the proposed measures.

Conclusions. Implementing the proposed energy-conservation and energy-efficiency measures across the stages of heat generation, transmission, and consumption will enhance both the reliability and cost-effectiveness of urban and municipal heat-supply systems. The suggested system of performance indicators will enable a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of these measures in terms of the improvements achieved.

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