Used historically in urban areas but now mainly in institutions, district heating and cooling systemsâ€"efficient centralized energy systems that may use energy sources other than petroleumâ€"have gained renewed interest. This volume is a nontechnical examination of the history and current extent of district heating and cooling systems in the United States, their costs and benefits, technical requirements, market demand for them, and European experience with such systems, with major focus on the problems of financing, regulation, and taxation. Appendixes provide case studies of cities and towns currently using district heating and cooling systems.

In October 1991, more than sixty executives and experts met in Alexandria, Virginia to outline a ten year Action Plan for District Heating, Cooling and Cogeneration (DHC/C). Attendees represented industry, government, non-profit associations, and academia. Their challenge was to develop a series of goals and actions that can "Make DHC/C a major contributor to the energy security, environmental quality and economy of the United States within the next decade." The Action Plan that emerged from the meeting charts an aggressive long-term strategy for the achievement of four primary goals: a credible foundation, a competitive position, an effective presence, a fair policy climate. The Action Plan describes general steps and responsibilities to reach these goals. Participants in the Plan's formative workshop are listed at the end of this document. A Work Program that schedules specific activities during 1992-1993 will be completed in the Spring of 1992.

This report identifies modern district energy as the most effective approach for many cities to transition to sustainable heating and cooling, by improving energy efficiency and enabling higher shares of renewables. This publication is one of the first reports to provide concrete policy, finance and technology best-practice recommendations on addressing the heating and cooling sectors in cities through energy efficiency improvements and the integration of renewables, both of which are central to the energy transition. These recommendations have been developed in collaboration with 45 champion cities, all of which use district energy, with 11 of them using it to achieve 100 per cent renewables or carbon-neutral targets.

This report summarizes the development options for introducing district cooling and heating in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. A district energy system as defined for the Stamford project is the production of chilled and hot water at a central energy plant, and its distribution underground to participating building in the vicinity. The objective of the study was to investigate implementation of a district energy system in conjunction with cogeneration as a means to encourage energy conservation and provide the city with an economic development tool. Analysis of the system configuration focused on selecting an arrangement which offered a realistic opportunity for implementation. Three main alternatives were investigated: (1) construction of an 82 MW cogeneration plant and a district heating and cooling system to serve downtown buildings, (2) construction of a small (4 MW) in-fence cogeneration plant combined with cooling and heating, and (3) construction of a district cooling and heating plant to supply selected buildings. Option (1) was determined to be unfeasible at this time due to low electricity prices. The analysis demonstrated that alternatives (2) and (3) were feasible. A number of recommendations are made for detailed cost estimates and ownership, leasing, and financial issues. 12 figs., 10 tabs.

Winner of Choice Magazine - Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 Buildings account for over one third of global energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Reducing energy use by buildings is therefore an essential part of any strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby lessen the likelihood of potentially catastrophic climate change. Bringing together a wealth of hard-to-obtain information on energy use and energy efficiency in buildings at a level which can be easily digested and applied, Danny Harvey offers a comprehensive, objective and critical sourcebook on low-energy buildings. Topics covered include: thermal envelopes, heating, cooling, heat pumps, HVAC systems, hot water, lighting, solar energy, appliances and office equipment, embodied energy, buildings as systems and community-integrated energy systems (cogeneration, district heating, and district cooling). The book includes exemplary buildings and techniques from North America, Europe and Asia, and combines a broad, holistic perspective with technical detail in an accessible and insightful manner.