District Heating System and Local Energy Networks

SarahB16

Hello

I have searched online trying to find out the difference between a district heating system and a local energy network but don't really understand what the two types of energy are. 

Could anybody kindly explain the difference or post links as to where I can read about them please.  I only ever hear negative stories re district heating systems but wondered if a local energy system is the same thing?  

Very grateful for any further information regarding this. 

Thank you 

tacpot12

They are sort of the same thing. However, a District Heating System is only capable of supplying heat, whereas a Local Energy System might be capable of providing heat and electricity. However, if it is only capable of supplying heat, it might have been called a Local Energy System to distance itself from any bad press that District Heating Systems might have had.

District Heating Systems can be good. They are very popular in Denmark. But it if they are not managed well, it can feel like you don't have a lot of control. The reality in the UK is that the national electic and gas grids are very well managed, so the supplies are very reliable. If you are connected to a district heating system that isn't well managed, you will really notice the difference. It also takes a bit of a leap of imagination to understand that you are not paying for the fuel to create heat as you would with a gas boiler, but are having the heat delivered directly to you.

If the system isn't well designed, you might also find that it doesn't heat your home quite well enough or it doesn't supply hot water to the taps that is hot enough for a bath or shower.  

The way to find out if your local service is well managed is to talk to existing users. Try to talk to three of them to get a balanced view. 

lincroft1710

The only District Heating System I know about is/was in Bretton, Peterborough. Built in the early 1970s an absolutely huge boiler supplied hot water to heat the radiators (and provide HW) of several hundred Peterborough Development Corporation built rental houses. I understand the rents reflected the cost of supplying the hot water, so if you had the heating on high for 24 hours a day, you paid no extra

FreeBear

tacpot12 said: District Heating Systems can be good. They are very popular in Denmark. But it if they are not managed well, it can feel like you don't have a lot of control. The reality in the UK is that the national electic and gas grids are very well managed, so the supplies are very reliable. If you are connected to a district heating system that isn't well managed, you will really notice the difference.

Currently, district & communal heating is very poorly regulated, but that is due to change later this year. Providers will need to be licensed, and there will be a raft of statutory obligations associated with that (have only skimmed the regs). But one thing that is missing is any cap on pricing that I can see. So consumers will be exposed to volatile energy markets.

SarahB16

FreeBear said:

tacpot12 said: District Heating Systems can be good. They are very popular in Denmark. But it if they are not managed well, it can feel like you don't have a lot of control. The reality in the UK is that the national electic and gas grids are very well managed, so the supplies are very reliable. If you are connected to a district heating system that isn't well managed, you will really notice the difference.

Currently, district & communal heating is very poorly regulated, but that is due to change later this year. Providers will need to be licensed, and there will be a raft of statutory obligations associated with that (have only skimmed the regs). But one thing that is missing is any cap on pricing that I can see. So consumers will be exposed to volatile energy markets.

Thank you - are local energy networks included within the communal heating category that you refer to above?  

FreeBear

SarahB16 said:

FreeBear said:

tacpot12 said: District Heating Systems can be good. They are very popular in Denmark. But it if they are not managed well, it can feel like you don't have a lot of control. The reality in the UK is that the national electic and gas grids are very well managed, so the supplies are very reliable. If you are connected to a district heating system that isn't well managed, you will really notice the difference.

Currently, district & communal heating is very poorly regulated, but that is due to change later this year. Providers will need to be licensed, and there will be a raft of statutory obligations associated with that (have only skimmed the regs). But one thing that is missing is any cap on pricing that I can see. So consumers will be exposed to volatile energy markets.

Thank you - are local energy networks included within the communal heating category that you refer to above?  

Short answer, yes.

Yorkie1

‘It is horrendous’: Residents on a York estate stuck without heating and hot water | YorkMix

SarahB16

Yorkie1 said:

‘It is horrendous’: Residents on a York estate stuck without heating and hot water | YorkMix

Thank you.  It's the 'Local Energy Network' that I'd really like to better understand.  Somebody I know seems to think local energy networks are something wonderful and all I hear in my head is District Heating System/absolute nightmare/avoid at all costs.  

daveyjp

lincroft1710 said:

The only District Heating System I know about is/was in Bretton, Peterborough. Built in the early 1970s an absolutely huge boiler supplied hot water to heat the radiators (and provide HW) of several hundred Peterborough Development Corporation built rental houses. I understand the rents reflected the cost of supplying the hot water, so if you had the heating on high for 24 hours a day, you paid no extra

Reykjavik has an excellent system, having unlimitless superheated steam a few feet underground means it rarely fails!

silvercar

My son lives in a block of flats that has one of these systems. The upside is he has no private boiler to maintain. It works well. Cost wise, it should be more economical overall to contribute to the maintenance of one large system than have each flat maintain their own, though there is no price cap like for residential gas and electric. 

TroubledTarts

I don't believe these system have the protection  required to not jack up prices and costs.

I have read on other forums of extortionate standing charges and high kwh prices.

Can you find out what the current prices are and if the property has an individual meter to monitor your usage.