about District energy
District Energy is popular at universities, downtown areas, and business campuses. District Energy is similar to CHP, but serves a network of buildings instead of just one. As with CHP, electricity is generated at the campus, business park, or downtown area, and then the excess heat is recaptured to be used to meet the heating or cooling needs of the campus, business park, or town. Although most District Energy systems have electricity generation, some only have heating and/or cooling (also called district heating or district cooling). In district heating, water is heated at a central plant, circulated through insulated, underground pipes to nearby facilities, and then returns to the plant to be heated again. Buildings use the hot water (or steam) for space heating and domestic hot water. District cooling systems use the same process but with chilled water, which the facilities utilize for air conditioning.
Once established, these systems provide an efficient, reliable, and affordable source of electricity, heating, and/or cooling. Individual buildings connected to the network avoid the need to install and maintain their own boilers, furnaces, chillers, or air conditioners.
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