District heating/cooling

A district heating/cooling network usually consists of three elements:

 The thermal power plant/pumping station: generates the heat/cold to be circulated

 Pipework for conveying and distributing the heat (hot water, superheated water or water vapour) or cold (cold water)

 Substations: supply points for the heat/cold. These form the interface between the district heating/cooling network and the building.

The heat required can be produced from a multitude of sources. The most common types of energy used in district heating networks are:

 Biomass, usually in the form of wood (wood chips, reclaimed wood, pellets)

 Geothermal (geothermal probes, groundwater, etc.)

 Biomass, usually in the form of wood (reclaimed wood, pellets)

 Heat recovery from waste (e.g. CADIOM, which sources its energy from the Usine d’Incinération des Ordures Ménagères des Cheneviers ).

Cold is generally produced from an inexhaustible renewable source:

 Lake water (GeniLac cooling project from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Geneva)

 Sea water (SWAC – Sea Water Air Conditioning, CGC Energie project in Mauritius)

 Groundwater

This can be complemented by cooling units.

We would be delighted to hear about your project and offer our expert advice.

Reach us 24/7 on 022 869 06 00.

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