What is a heat network (district heating)?
A heat network is a system of buried, insulated pipes that carries hot water from a central heat source to homes and other buildings. The home no longer has its own boiler but a heat interface unit with a heat exchanger that passes the heat to the heating system and hot water. Large networks are known as district heating; smaller ones serving a single block are often called communal heating. In Dutch: “warmtenet”.
Heat sources
- Waste heat from industry, energy-from-waste plants or data centres.
- Combined heat and power plants.
- Deep geothermal energy.
- Large heat pumps using rivers, lakes or sewage.
- Biomass, and seasonal storage such as aquifer thermal energy storage.
Temperature levels
- High temperature: suits existing homes with radiators without major insulation work.
- Low temperature: for well-insulated homes with underfloor or wall heating, sometimes with a small heat pump in the home for hot water.
Points to check as a resident
- Cost structure: standing charge, unit price, metering charges and any connection fee. Compare the total annual cost, not just the unit price.
- Contract terms: length, price change rules, fault response and who maintains the heat interface unit.
- The source: how low-carbon is the heat now, and what are the operator’s plans?
- Temperature level: is it enough for your existing radiators?
- Space: the interface unit is compact but needs a spot with water connections, often where the boiler was.
Related terms
- Combined heat and power
- Heat exchanger
- Sewage heat recovery
- Aquathermal energy
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.