WHY DISTRICT HEATING? District heating pays off When it comes to supplying heat in urban areas, district heating as developed in Sweden by the members of SweHeat & Cooling, the Swedish Council for District Heating, is the most feasible solution for many reasons. The foremost reason is the economy: the investment pays good dividends over a long period of time. One large system is better than many small One of the primary reasons for investing in district heating systems is to save energy. This is achieved in several ways.

First, a large central boiler plant is more efficient than small individual home-heating systems. Second, even greater energy savings are possible when cogeneration -- combined heat and power generation -- is used. In cogeneration, heat from power generation, wasted in conventional thermal power plants, is used for district heating, increasing the overall efficiency of the combined process to up to 90%.

Also the use of waste energy from industrial and other sources can save considerable amounts of fuel.

Flexibility in the choice of fuels is equally important. Compared with small boiler plants, large boilers or cogeneration plants serving entire district can use less expensive fuels such as solid waste, biomass or coal.

Protecting the environment

District heating is an important technology that local governments can employ to help protect the environment.

Efficient flue gas cleaning equipment has been developed for district heating plants and many Swedish cities have experienced sharp improvements in ambient air quality after installing a district heating system. Biomass can also be used to fire district heating plants, which help curb carbon dioxide emissions.

Utilize energy in waste ...

Waste-to-energy plants serving district heating systems are common in Swedish cities. They represent an economical and environmentally feasible solution to finding alternative energy sources and alleviating waste disposal problems. Swedish waste-to-energy plants have attracted interest internationally in recent years, especially for their environmental control solutions.

... and from industries

Many process industries generate substantial amounts of surplus heat that can be utilised in district heating systems which benefits all parties involved.