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Thermal Transfer

District heating and cooling, enabled by high density, is one of the most effective ways to save energy on heating and cooling. See our analysis of heating and cooling for solutions in other areas.

District Heating and Cooling and Density

Dense development allow a district heating system, or a district heating and cooling system, to be economically viable. District systems typically save energy, especially if powered by what would otherwise be waste heat. Conversely, building a district heating and/or cooling system can assist denser development, by allowing future buildings to save on dedicated HVAC infrastructure.

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Energy requirements and viability of district heating and cooling. Sources: Population density threshholds for viability of DHC are estimated from Möller and Werner 1. Energy for district heating is estimated from Gudmundsson 2 and for district cooling is estimated from Stellar Energy 3.

Problem:
Pollution from Heating and Cooling
Solution:
District Systems

Sweden: District Heating and Cooling Success Story

Sweden is a world leader in the use of district heating, which provides over 50% of the country's residential and commercial heating needs 4. Only 3% of heating demand was met by district systems in 1960 4, but in the following decades, the Swedish government saw district heating as a solution to achieve several goals--reduce dependence on oil, spur the construction of new homes, and reduce CO2 emissions--and invested accordingly 4.

From 1980 to 2015, the carbon intensity of Sweden's district heating fell from about 325 grams CO2-equivalent per megajoule to 65 grams/MJ 5, driven in part by the country's high carbon tax, as coal and oil have been replaced by biomass, waste, combined heat and power systems, and excess industrial heat 4.

Today, Stockholm is developing the Open District Heating concept, which would create a market for smaller heat providers, such as data centers, to sell heat in the district system 5. In recent years, Sweden has conducted pilot projects into using district heating for washing machines and dishwashers 4. As of 2014, district cooling systems delivered 3.6 petajoules, and this figure is growing at 8% per year 4.

References

  1. Möller, B., Werner, S. "Quantifying the Potential for District Heating and Cooling in EU Member States". Stratego Advanced Heating & Cooling Plans, Work Package 2, Background Report 6. Cofounded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Union. 2016. ↩

  2. Gudmundsson, O., Thorsen, J., Zhang, L. "Cost analysis of district heating compared to its competing technologies". WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 176, pp. 3-13. 2013. ↩

  3. Stellar Energy. "District Cooling". Accessed February 16, 2019. ↩

  4. Werner, S. "District heating and cooling in Sweden". Energy 126(1), pp. 419-429. May 2017. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  5. Stockholm Data Parks. "A Brief Introduction to District Heating and District Cooling". January 2017. ↩ ↩2