District heating and cooling –
District Heating, also known as heat networks or teleheating, is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralised location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements. The heat is often obtained from a plant burning fossil fuels, biomass or household waste. District heating plants can provide higher efficiencies and better pollution control than localised boilers. A network of well insulated plastic pipes buried underneath the streets carries hot heating water or steam from the main heating plant into each home. A heat exchange then captures heat from the network and transfers it to the localised radiators and hot water system. For the system to work efficiently, the buried pipes must be as insulated as possible so plastic is often used instead of metal.
