Mannheim / Wetzlar / Dresden, June 10, 2024: Together, the Bosch Home Comfort Group, Robotron, and PPC are taking another major step forward in the energy-efficient deployment of heat pumps. Through this collaboration, the partners are demonstrating the digital control of a heat pump via the EEBUS protocol using the PPC CLS gateway. This paves the way for the implementation of Section 14a.
As part of the collaboration, a Bosch heat pump (model Compress 5800i AW) was controlled via the EEBUS protocol through a CLS gateway from PPC. The control command was issued from Robotron’s aEMT system. The heating system is now ready for continuous control in accordance with Section 14a of the German Energy Economy Act (EnWG) and can thus be operated based on market or grid-related considerations.
With this system, heat pump operators can benefit from electricity-price-based grid fees—and, in the future, time-varying grid fees—in their usage. This would also allow grid operators, for example, to respond in advance to known power bottlenecks in certain grid sections and issue startup commands for heat pumps. The power demand from the heat pumps is thus shifted in time, and an emerging critical situation is mitigated by the reduced power demand. 
Enormous Potential: Heat Pumps as a Building Block of Decarbonization
In light of current and future developments, it is clear just how much potential this holds for companies in the energy distribution sector, as well as for competitive and universal metering point operators. This applies to both standardized solutions and customized approaches that serve the target market. By utilizing standardized digital communication, aggregators can effectively tap into the flexibility resources of the heating transition and actively contribute to the decarbonization of the heating sector. The German federal government’s expansion targets—to install six million heat pumps in Germany by 2030—offer enormous potential for CO2 savings. According to the “Heat Pump Traffic Light” from FfE Munich, 75% of existing buildings could already be equipped with heat pumps. 
BOSCH Home Comfort Group at the 2024 PPC Customer Meeting
