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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Description of district heating: US history and current status

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6801150
The history of district heating includes both the birth of the district heating industry in the United States and the modern systems now being developed in northern Europe. During the early part of the twentieth century, the first small cogeneration/district heating plant came into existence. These systems used exhaust steam from small dual-purpose power plants to heat buildings in the nearby business district. As a result, steam district heating combined with cogeneration was widely accepted. During the late 1940s the situation changed when the introduction of inexpensive oil and natural gas for space heating reduced the rapid growth of district heating. Presently many US steam district heating businesses are not profitable and are in total disrepair. The history of district heating in Europe is somewhat different than that in the United States. The development of district heating networks in northern and eastern Europe started in the early 1950s. Hot water, rather than steam, was used as a transport media. European systems tend to have larger service areas than those in the United States. They serve lower heat load density regions and use remotely located cogeneration power plants.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
6801150
Report Number(s):
CONF-810343-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English