Celsius City

European Commission,  Germany,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Sweden,  United Kingdom

Challenge

Buildings account for almost a third of total energy consumption globally, with space heating and cooling and the provision of water accounting for approximately half of this consumption. Waste heat produced in the EU could be enough to heat its entire building stock, but heat recovery processes are often challenging, and there is no sufficient distribution network to move the energy from where it is produced to where it is needed.

Innovation

Celsius City is an innovative city-based project making building heating and cooling systems more sustainable and efficient. It has developed a new approach using a network of insulated pipes that distribute heat or cold using hot water, steam or cold water, meaning individual homes do not need to generate their own heat on-site. Instead, any heat source can be connected to the network by identifying waste heat and devising ways to capture and integrate this heat into a city’s local district heating system.

The project is funded by the EU with about €14 million under the EU FP7 programme to provide smarter, more efficient heating and cooling systems to cities across the EU.

Action

Celsius City currently provides new integrated technology solutions to develop smart district heating and cooling systems to 67 European cities.

It creates better heating systems for cities to facilitate a more efficient transfer of heat from point of production to storage and point of use. The project established an intelligent heating system, covering virtually all the households and commercial buildings in the appropriate high density areas of the city. These systems make use of a range of excess heat sources all created within the city during the course of an average operational day.

Potential

Celsius City and its smart district heating technologies promote transfer of information, knowledge and expertise to cities across Europe, creating a model that can be exported, adopted and adapted to the specific needs of any city.
In terms of reducing harmful emissions, the EU estimated that district heating has the potential of saving an extra 400 million tons of CO2 each year.

Useful links:

Project website: http://celsiuscity.eu/