If you want your home to be heated in a way that is less time-consuming, problem-free, and environmentally friendly, then district heating is the right choice. The heating service is made convenient by an automated system and a modern heating substation.
Automated district heating is convenient and economical
Our most precious non-renewable resource is time. If you use district heating, you don’t have to spend time heating the building.
Regulating the heat in a district-heated building is easy and convenient because it is mostly automated. A properly regulated heating substation must not be checked or adjusted often. Once you have set the automation to the desired mode, it will automatically regulate the heating of the building depending on the outside air temperature. If it is warm outside, the automation switches off the heating and reduces heat consumption, and vice versa. It also reduces consumption, which in turn saves costs.
Consumption can be adjusted more individually in rooms where radiators have thermostats. Thermostats can be used to increase or decrease the room temperature as desired. Among other things, room-based regulators help maintain a suitable indoor climate in sunny and shaded rooms simultaneously.
Lowering the room temperature by one degree reduces heating costs by nearly 5%.
The customer’s heating cost depends on their consumption. Apart from the weather, many other factors also affect this: the condition of the building, how the heating system is set up, and the consumption of hot water. Almost 30% of annual heat consumption is used to heat water. The more thoughtfully hot water is consumed, the more optimal the costs.
A modern heating substation does not require human intervention
District heating users do not have to worry about buying fuel, setting up, or maintaining boilers. With the district heating service, the customer only has to maintain the heating system and the heating substation in their building.
The heating substation is the heart of the building, on which the entire indoor climate of the building depends. It is a device that connects the building to the district heating network and transfers heat. If the building has a depreciated heating substation or lacks automation, it is worth replacing the substation with a modern, fully automatic heating substation.
The automatic heating substation regulates the temperature of the rooms according to the outside air temperature and basically does not require human intervention. By modernizing the heating substation, the building is heated more comfortably and economically. The heating substation can be changed all year round, but it is recommended that you wait until the outside temperature is no lower than -5°C or below.
Why replace an old heating substation with an automatically controlled substation?
- A modern heating substation does not require constant intervention and regulates the temperature of the rooms by the set heating regime according to the outside air temperature.
- Heating modes for day and night can be set in the automatic heating substation, ensuring the desired indoor temperature at any time.
- Overheating and underheating are common in spring and autumn and can be avoided with a new heating substation.
- The risk of corrosion of the building’s heating pipes and heaters is also reduced.
- The temperature of domestic water remains constant.
- The devices are compact and silent.
- A modern heating substation allows you to balance the heating system so that heat is evenly distributed within the building.
- The investment will pay for itself in a short time.
District heating is problem-free and environmentally friendly
District heating is available to customers in the required quantity and time. The reliability of district heating is ensured by experienced engineers, investments, and high-tech solutions.
Utilitas district heating offers customers confidence and freedom and operates around the clock – even during crises. Utilitas cogeneration plants and boiler houses have advanced modern technology, and the entire district heating network is remotely controlled. If borders are closed during international crises and national restrictions are set, district heating will continue to work because the fuel supply is guaranteed and the control of the large system is also possible from a distance.
The biggest impact of extreme weather is the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels. The less people consume in general, the better for the environment. At the same time, keeping rooms warm is essential in the Estonian climate. However, while enjoying a convenient room temperature, none of us should forget that the use of renewable energy is just as important. Utilitas produces and distributes heat and electricity with the smallest possible ecological footprint. Choosing a district heating service that uses renewable fuels is your big step to keeping the climate of Estonia and the world stable.
Utilitas produces more than half of its heat from low-value domestic wood waste. Wood chips for fuel are obtained from forest and wood industry leftovers, which otherwise cannot be used. Utilitas decreased CO2 emissions by 650,000 tons in 2019 just by using local wood chips. This amount would have been released into the air if the same amount of energy was produced from gas or oil shale. For additional cleaning, Utilitas uses flue gas scrubbers, which reduce emissions three times more.
Connecting the building to the district heating service
District heating is the most economical energy solution in cities and densely populated areas. It is convenient to join if the building is near the district heating pipeline.
It is also possible to join district heating if you plan to completely renovate the building or change your service provider. If you use local heating, but comfort, security, and environmental sustainability are more important to you, there is an option to replace your current heating method with district heating.
In order to join the Utilitas district heating service, please find all relevant documents and forms on the website and contact Utilitas’ experienced specialists. They help you explore your possibilities to join and successfully connect the building to the district heating network.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas, the atmospheric accumulation of which causes climate change and warming. The burning of non-renewable fossil fuels is the largest source of CO2 emissions.
- Heating with wood waste is carbon neutral. This means that if wood waste is left to rot, it would release the same amount of CO2 as when burning it in a boiler house. Therefore, it has been internationally agreed that heating with wood chips is CO2 free. The impact of wind farms or solar parks on the environment is several times smaller than the impact of producing and using fossil fuels.
- Depending on the technology, wind turbines or solar panels produce the energy needed for their production in about 6 to 18 months.
The article was published in August 2020 in the magazine Elamu- ja Korteriühistu.