Topotherm
Topotherm provides optimization software for district heating and cooling network design, helping utilities and engineering offices create cost-effective, renewable infrastructure. Its algorithms automate building-specific connection decisions, pipe routing, and sizing, reducing lifecycle costs by 5–10% and compressing design iterations from days to hours. The platform also supports transformation and expansion planning for existing networks.
- Energy
- Clean Technology
- Construction Technology
- Software Only
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Designing district heating and cooling networks requires balancing technical viability with financial profitability across numerous interdependent decisions, including which buildings to connect, how to route pipes, and what diameters to use. Conventional planning tools rely on manual iteration, making the process slow, costly, and prone to suboptimal outcomes, particularly when transitioning existing networks to renewable energy sources.
Solution
Topotherm provides optimization software that automates the four core decisions in district heating and cooling network design: building-specific connection choices, pipe routing, pipe sizing, and expansion or transformation planning. The algorithms minimize trench length and lifecycle costs while respecting physical and geographic constraints, reducing lifecycle costs by 5–10% compared to conventional tools. Design iterations that typically take days are compressed into hours, enabling planners to evaluate more scenarios and make data-driven decisions. The platform is grounded in academic research and validated in practice with engineering offices and utility companies.
Target Audience
Primary customers are planners at utilities and engineering offices who design new district heating and cooling networks or plan the transition of existing networks to renewable energy sources.
Features
- Building-specific connection analysis that evaluates economic viability based on heat demand, distance, and local alternatives
- Automatic pipe routing that derives cost-optimal network layouts while minimizing trench length and respecting physical and geographic constraints
- Pipe sizing optimization that balances capital costs against hydraulic losses across all operating conditions
- Greenfield design, transformation planning, and expansion planning modules for both new and existing networks
- Underlying methods published in 6 peer-reviewed articles, providing a research-backed technical foundation