Title of Example

Example

Improving air quality by district heating

The emission of NO_x is better controlled in large plants of heat and power than in small domestic heating devices. With district heating the background NO_x level in the outdoor air will be much lower. In addition to this NO_x reduction effect, combined heat and power generation with a district heating system has a substantial CO₂ reduction effect when compared to thousands of stand-alone heating devices.

Regarding air pollution and its effects on health indoor emissions are very important. Heating and cooking in other forms than gas can reduce the air quality in the house. Electrical cooking and district heating is a good choice to reduce air pollution in homes. District heating avoids having to use open gas-fired water heaters for domestic hot water production as well as gas-fires for heating. In the absence of a gas infrastructure, electrical cookers should be used. Thus in the house there is no need for gas-fired water heaters and gas-fires.

District heating infrastructure under construction

Utrecht (116.000 houses) has an extensive district heating system in the existing city. West of Utrecht, in Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht is building 30.000 new dwellings before the year 2015. More than two-thirds of these dwellings will be connected to district heating. With these new dwellings in Leidsche Rijn, 30% of all houses in Utrecht will be connected to district heating and 20% has no gas-grid connection. Besides this, about 40 % of the utilities in Utrecht (offices, education, public health and care, etc.) are connected to district heating. District heating supplies 60% of the required heating in these buildings.

Last Updated

13th January 2005