District heating – also known as community or communal heating or heat networks – is a scheme which delivers communal heating for a number of self-contained properties using one main heat pump system.

• How does district heating work?

  Ground source heat pumps lend themselves very well to district heating. A ground loop is typically laid in the grounds around the properties and a ground source heat pump installed in a central plant room. From its central location, the heat pump delivers the required hot water for radiators and hot water taps to each home in the scheme. Homes are metered and billed individually for the energy they use.

• Advantages of district heating

  There are many advantages with district heating. These include:
  • Lower central heating costs – a significant reduction in heating costs for homeowners and tenants, not to mention a more efficient and effective heating system
  • Reduce bills and generate an income stream – the provider of the scheme can charge less for the delivery of heat, while still making a profit on heat generation
  • Easy maintenance – the central heat pump system can be serviced and maintained without disturbing homeowners and tenants
  • Longer-lasting and more reliable – commercial heat pumps have a lifespan far in excess of traditional boilers
  • Sustainable – heat pumps use renewable energy and help to reduce your carbon footprint.

• What are the applications?

  District heating is suitable for networks of all sizes, from two properties up to schemes as large as housing estates, villages, towns and even cities. It can also be used in commercial and agricultural applications – for example, to heat a series of barns or warehouses.

  District heating schemes can utilise ground or air source heat pumps to suit the properties to be heated and the location.

  Where ground source is not an option because of space or budget, we can use commercial air source heat pumps to deliver the same low carbon heat input. Located within a service area or even on the roof of a block of flats, these air source units are capable of delivering all the heat and hot water required for large communal developments at a much lower installation cost than ground source.

  While district heating is still relatively new in the UK, it offers great potential and fantastic rewards for a host of applications.

  In Spring 2017, we installed the first communal domestic ground source district heating scheme in East Anglia for Flagship Group at 30 flats in South Norfolk. Click here to read more about this award-winning project. We have since installed a further two district heating schemes for Flagship, including one six-phase project to heat more than 100 homes in Felixstowe, Suffolk.