Earlier this month, The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) held a consultation on the EU Energy Efficiency Directive’s application of metering and billing relating to district heating systems.
District heating describes the production of heat from a central source, with hot water that is then pumped to the buildings. It currently provides less than 2 per cent of the UK's heat, while in other countries such as Finland, it provides up to 18 per cent. The technique also provides 36 per cent of the total heat supply for the city of Vienna.
The proposed application – which is due to come into effect from June of this year – will apply to anybody who owns district heating and community heating and hot water schemes, such as some social housing organisations. Those individuals or organisations will also be responsible for implementing the measures that are decided upon.
The Government organisation confirmed that the consultation was held in order to suggest a number of ways in which compulsory requirements relating to metering and billing could be complied with.
The directive will also see a range of further requirements rolled out over time which will be subject to cost requirements tests as well as technical feasibility, stated the DECC.
The DECC also partnered with the UK District Energy Association in order to arrange a series of related workshops prior to the launch of the consultation, in order to ensure that those due to be affected were kept informed of developments.