<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>District heating has proven to be an efficient way of providing space heating and domestic hot water in populated areas. It has also proven to be an excellent way to integrate various renewable energy sources (RES) into the energy system. In Estonia, biomass covers most of the heat demand, but carbon-intensive fuels are still used to cover peaks and lows. Heat pumps can be a good solution for rural areas, as there is usually plenty of land available for heat pump facilities. In addition, heat pumps require low-grade heat sources such as ambient air, groundwater, lakes, rivers, sea, sewage water, and industrial waste heat. One of the downsides of heat pumps is the need for large investments compared to boilers fired by natural gas and biomass, and electric boilers. This study examines the impact of heat pump use on consumer prices for district heating in rural district heating networks in Estonia.</p>
</abstract>

District heating has proven to be an efficient way of providing space heating and domestic hot water in populated areas. It has also proven to be an excellent way to integrate various renewable energy sources (RES) into the energy system. In Estonia, biomass covers most of the heat demand, but carbon-intensive fuels are still used to cover peaks and lows. Heat pumps can be a good solution for rural areas, as there is usually plenty of land available for heat pump facilities. In addition, heat pumps require low-grade heat sources such as ambient air, groundwater, lakes, rivers, sea, sewage water, and industrial waste heat. One of the downsides of heat pumps is the need for large investments compared to boilers fired by natural gas and biomass, and electric boilers. This study examines the impact of heat pump use on consumer prices for district heating in rural district heating networks in Estonia.

Heat Pump Use in Rural District Heating Networks in Estonia

Environmental and Climate Technologies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Heat Pump Use in Rural District Heating Networks in Estonia"}

District heating has proven to be an efficient way of providing space heating and domestic hot water in populated areas. It has also proven to be an excellent...

Heat Pump Use in Rural District Heating Networks in Estonia

Published Online: Oct 30, 2021

Page range: 786 - 802

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2021-0059

Keywords
Consumer prices, district heating, heat pumps, low-temperature heat sources, rural areas

© 2021 Kertu Lepiksaar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Heat Pump Use in Rural District Heating Networks in Estonia

Published Online: Oct 30, 2021

Page range: 786 - 802

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2021-0059

KeywordsConsumer prices, district heating, heat pumps, low-temperature heat sources, rural areas

© 2021 Kertu Lepiksaar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Consumer prices, district heating, heat pumps, low-temperature heat sources, rural areas