by Brianna Crandall — July 27, 2015—The U.K. government’s plan to supply 14 percent of the U.K.’s heat via heat networks (also known as district heating) recently received a major boost when the [Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) www.cibse.org] and the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) unveiled their new code of practice for heat networks.
Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK aims to support the procurement, design and operation of heat network technology by setting minimum standards and providing a framework of guidance for the whole life cycle of a heat network project. It was drafted by AECOM, supported by a steering group of experienced industry practitioners, and is the first Code of Practice published by the Institution.
Although widely regarded as an affordable way of providing low-carbon heat, the benefits of heat networks can only be realized through good installation, appropriate usage and consistent measurement, says CIBSE. This is not always the case, and as a result district heating can sometimes viewed with suspicion by developers.
This new Code of Practice is expected to considerably increase the success, efficiency and desirability of heat networks by setting clear requirements and responsibilities, which should eliminate poor commissioning and standardize specifications.
The Code was welcomed by the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and is expected to boost the deployment of heat networks, which are a significant part of government plans for low-carbon infrastructure in the United Kingdom.
Heat networks have been very successfully deployed in European cities such as Malmo and Copenhagen, where the waste heat from industrial processes such as power generation is channeled into the domestic supply, notes CIBSE. In the Danish capital, this accounts for 98 percent of the city’s domestic heat supply.
The Code will also benefit homes and businesses, for whom heating costs represent over half of their energy bills, by enabling them to tap into cheaper shared heat sources that will lower their living costs. The new code also introduces a training and accreditation scheme, which will increase the number of engineers able to build new systems.
Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK is now available to download, free for CIBSE members, via the CIBSE Knowledge Portal. Training courses are also now available.
