---
_id: '65757'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Electrifying the heating sector is essential for achieving global climate
    targets like the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C goal. In Germany, where 80  % of household
    energy goes to space heating and hot water, shifting to low-carbon solutions is
    crucial. Fossil-fuelled district heating networks can incorporate renewable energy
    via heat pumps, improving efficiency. Although heat pump design typically favours
    minimal temperature lifts, higher lifts can be economically viable with low electricity
    prices and abundant renewables. Adding thermal energy storage boosts operational
    flexibility. This study explores a flexible heat pump operation incorporating
    part load behaviour with a thermal energy storage in a German city’s district
    heating system to minimise costs and carbon dioxide emissions. Using a mixed-integer
    linear programming model, it examines the impact of temperature adjustments and
    storage on system efficiency. The results show that the integration of a heat
    pump in a district heating system reduces operating costs. Compared to a supply
    without a heat pump, with levelised cost of heating of 9.98 cent/kWhth and a fixed
    operating mode with costs between 9.96 cent/kWhth and 11.49 cent/kWhth, the flexible
    use results in lowest costs of 9.85 cent/kWhth, while also reducing overall CO2
    emissions. Using a full factorial sensitivity analysis, the levelised cost of
    heating ranged between 9.15 cent/kWhth in the best case and 10.37 cent/kWhth in
    the worst case for the selected configuration.
article_number: '121714'
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Henning Christoph
  full_name: Rahlf, Henning Christoph
  id: '56955'
  last_name: Rahlf
  orcid: 0009-0006-8106-2132
- first_name: Denis
  full_name: Divkovic, Denis
  id: '89059'
  last_name: Divkovic
- first_name: Lukas
  full_name: Knorr, Lukas
  id: '90391'
  last_name: Knorr
  orcid: 0009-0005-4727-7511
- first_name: Florian
  full_name: Schlosser, Florian
  id: '88614'
  last_name: Schlosser
- first_name: Henning
  full_name: Meschede, Henning
  id: '86954'
  last_name: Meschede
  orcid: 0000-0002-1538-089X
citation:
  ama: Rahlf HC, Divkovic D, Knorr L, Schlosser F, Meschede H. Flexible operation
    strategies for heat pumps in district heating systems using dynamic electricity
    prices. <i>Energy Conversion and Management</i>. 2026;364. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>
  apa: Rahlf, H. C., Divkovic, D., Knorr, L., Schlosser, F., &#38; Meschede, H. (2026).
    Flexible operation strategies for heat pumps in district heating systems using
    dynamic electricity prices. <i>Energy Conversion and Management</i>, <i>364</i>,
    Article 121714. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Rahlf_Divkovic_Knorr_Schlosser_Meschede_2026, title={Flexible
    operation strategies for heat pumps in district heating systems using dynamic
    electricity prices}, volume={364}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>},
    number={121714}, journal={Energy Conversion and Management}, publisher={Elsevier
    BV}, author={Rahlf, Henning Christoph and Divkovic, Denis and Knorr, Lukas and
    Schlosser, Florian and Meschede, Henning}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: Rahlf, Henning Christoph, Denis Divkovic, Lukas Knorr, Florian Schlosser,
    and Henning Meschede. “Flexible Operation Strategies for Heat Pumps in District
    Heating Systems Using Dynamic Electricity Prices.” <i>Energy Conversion and Management</i>
    364 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>.
  ieee: 'H. C. Rahlf, D. Divkovic, L. Knorr, F. Schlosser, and H. Meschede, “Flexible
    operation strategies for heat pumps in district heating systems using dynamic
    electricity prices,” <i>Energy Conversion and Management</i>, vol. 364, Art. no.
    121714, 2026, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>.'
  mla: Rahlf, Henning Christoph, et al. “Flexible Operation Strategies for Heat Pumps
    in District Heating Systems Using Dynamic Electricity Prices.” <i>Energy Conversion
    and Management</i>, vol. 364, 121714, Elsevier BV, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714">10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714</a>.
  short: H.C. Rahlf, D. Divkovic, L. Knorr, F. Schlosser, H. Meschede, Energy Conversion
    and Management 364 (2026).
date_created: 2026-06-03T06:34:27Z
date_updated: 2026-06-03T06:44:31Z
department:
- _id: '644'
- _id: '534'
doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121714
intvolume: '       364'
keyword:
- Heat transition
- Optimisation
- Temperature flexibility
- Decarbonisation
- Multi energy
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196890426006837
oa: '1'
project:
- _id: '1495'
  name: FlexLabQuartier
publication: Energy Conversion and Management
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0196-8904
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier BV
status: public
title: Flexible operation strategies for heat pumps in district heating systems using
  dynamic electricity prices
type: journal_article
user_id: '56955'
volume: 364
year: '2026'
...