Energy‐Efficient District Heating

Abstract District heating uses hot water or steam as a carrier to transport energy produced from central heating plants to residential, commercial, or industrial buildings to provide their heating needs. It has the advantages to optimally use and combine a wide spectrum of low quality fuel, low temperature waste heat, and renewable energy. District heating improves energy efficiency on both the supply side and the demand side, and integrates with other energy infrastructures such as the electricity and gas grid. It represents an essential sustainable energy infrastructure with respect to energy security, energy efficiency, climate change, green economy, and social benefits. This article describes basic concepts for the district heating network and the building heating installations. In the district heating network, methods for district heating pipe thermal and hydraulic performance analysis are illustrated. Different types of consumer substations are introduced with emphasis on the heat exchanger dynamic performance, Legionella risk, and the flat station concept. The energy‐efficient district heating concepts and solutions with focus on fourth‐generation district heating and smart district heating are introduced. The renewable energy application and best practices in district heating are described. The demand side management in the district heating application is illustrated.