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District Energy in Canada

District Energy, also known as District heating and cooling, is the technology for providing heating (and possibly other forms of energy) from a central plant to multiple users. The most common district energy technology originally used piped steam to distribute the energy, but nowadays lower pressure hot water in flexible plastic piping can be u sed effectively to distribute heating and cooling energy. District energy can save money for the users, conserve resources, reduce pollution, and open up many options for flexible and sustainable energy solutions in the future.

District energy has a num ber of advantages over energy systems that serve only one user:

• Central plants tend to be much more efficient than many small plants, so energy consumption is reduced
• Central plants have to meet strict emission standards, so environmental effect s are better controlled than with many smaller units
• District energy removes combustion equipment from buildings, saving space in the buildings, and removing a real source of possible indoor air quality contamination.
• District energy systems can be flexible-fueled, which means they can burn whatever fuel is most economical and/or environmentally sound at the time.
• District energy systems present an opportunity for cogeneration or generation of electricity in a highly efficient process that utiliz es the heat normally wasted in power generation.

For more information contact:

• Canadian District Energy Association
• Click here for The World Wide Web Virtual Library on District Energy
• For additional district energy contacts

The International District Energy Association (IDEA) provides internet services:

You can subscribe to the IDEA list server by sending e-mail to MAILSERVE@dbv.cc.rochester.edu (the email should not have a subject but in the message field it should read SUBSCRIBE HOLLY)

For further information, call or email Tanya Vetter at IDEA 202-429-5111 idea@mtolympus.ari.net or Morris Pierce at the University of Rochester 716-275-4331 mapi@dbv.cc.rochester.edu

IDEA also has a monthly 4-page newsletter which can be ordered by email to the above addresses.

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Last update: 9 July 1995
URL:http://www.appro.org/dist_energy.htmlÿ