Spotlight: District Energy Systems (DES)

District energy systems (DES) includes district heating and district cooling (DHC), as well as district energy sharing (DESS, between or amongst individual buildings rather than a wider district). DES are typically a network of insulated pipes, often installed underground in the right-of-way shared with other utilities, that distribute hot or cold water produced in central plants to multiple buildings in a district, neighbourhood or city. This means individual buildings connected to the DES do not need to own and operate individual boilers, furnaces, electric heaters, or air conditioning units. This saves money and space for building owners and managers. Low carbon district energy systems may use clean electricity, thermal energy from the ground, cold ocean or lake water, and/or industrial waste heat or cold.