A new standard which will tackle the "Achilles heel" of district heating networks and improve the overall efficiency of schemes is to be published by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
The standard will be used to compare manufacturers' products and equipment types to help network designers evaluate performance against their design parameters.
It will also be used to create a comprehensive database and improve the industry's knowledge of heat interface unit (HIU) performance to inform future network design.
The performance of HIUs, which are used to extract heat from the network to feed individual buildings, is critical to occupant satisfaction levels and the overall efficiency of the schemes in terms of return temperatures and network sizing.
HIU are often the reason for networks failing to meet their efficiency targets. BESA said HIUs have proven to be an "Achilles' heel" of district heating networks.
BESA's technical director Tim Rook said: "This standard is, therefore, a major step forward for UK heat networks and it is a real accolade for BESA to be asked to publish and disseminate it on behalf of the industry."
The standard is being adopted from a test regime initially developed by energy consultancy FairHeat which was adapted form a well-stablished Swedish methodology to suit typical UK operating conditions as part of a research project funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
FairHeat managing director Gareth Jones said: "BESA is very well respected in the sector and we are delighted they have decided to take our regime and publish it as a standard.
"It is amazing to see how far the regime has come from a research project, developed with grant funding, to a recognised standard that will be used across the sector to improve heat network efficiency."
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