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District heating: an ancient concept for the modern world

By District Energy posted 16 days ago

  

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Summary

From the steamy baths of ancient Rome to sharing ‘waste’ heat around our smartest cities, district heating has a long and fascinating history. But while the idea might be centuries old, its role in building a cleaner, greener future is only just warming up.

The Romans knew a thing or two about staying cosy. They piped hot water beneath their homes, bathhouses and greenhouses, using early versions of centralised heating. Centuries later, the same core concept is transforming how we heat homes and businesses across whole cities.

District heating pops up in all sorts of places – from a (still-operating!) 14th-century system in France to the steam-fed setup at the US Naval Academy from the 1850s. But it was Birdsill Holly, an American engineer, who really sparked the modern movement. In 1877, he launched the first commercial district heating system in Lockport, New York – changing how cities could think about heat.

According to the Heat Network Industry Council, district heating could deliver annual CO₂ savings of 15 million tonnes by 2050 – a 9% cut in the UK’s heating emissions. That’s why the Government wants to scale it rapidly, aiming for 20% of the nation’s heat to come from district systems (up from just 3% now). That’s a big shift, and one that works best in dense urban areas, where heat networks really shine.

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