ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some articulations of sustainability and the environmental, social and economic trade-offs that can be identified for district heat distribution systems, to help achieve a deeper understanding of sustainability considerations and trade-offs for technical systems in general. District heating is a way of transferring heat from a central collection or production site to a customer with a heat demand. The environmental impacts from generating heat for the district heating system vary greatly between different regions, and must be considered in any sustainability assessment of district heating. Constructing a district heating system is both financially costly and results in environmental impacts. The insulating is cyclopentane, a hydrocarbon with satisfactory insulating and diffusion properties, and with no impacts on the ozone layer or climate. District heating decreases carbon dioxide emissions and thereby limits climate change.
