Community heating and CHP

Community heating has been used in the UK for many years, although it only accounts for around 1% of the UK domestic heating market. It is much more widely used in European countries such as Finland, Austria and Denmark, where over 50% of homes are connected to community heating networks. 
 

Community heating has the potential to:

• Reduce energy costs for tenants by at least 25%
• Generate income for your organisation from the sale of heat and electricity
• Reduce your maintenance and repair costs
• Use a wide variety of fuels, including renewable energy

The use of combined heat and power (CHP) with community heating can lead to even greater benefits. CHP recovers and uses the heat produced when electricity is generated and can achieve an overall energy efficiency of over 85%. It is the most efficient way of using fossil fuels and can also be fuelled by renewables or waste.

The document available here examines:

• The benefits of community heating
• The technical characteristics of community heating
• Overcoming barriers to community heating
• Combined heat and power (CHP) and micro-CHP
• The use of new and renewable fuels, such as municipal and other wastes, renewable energy sources and hydrogen
• Project appraisal and implementation, including scheme evaluation, funding and tenant consultations
• Community heating strategies
• Management of a community heating scheme

Click here to download Community heating and CHP.