Technical insights into Danish District Heating – Assessment Tool

Denmark is one of the most energy efficient countries in the world. One of the most important reasons that Denmark has achieved energy conservation and emission reduction in just a few decades is the widespread use of district heating, which now covers two-thirds of Danish households.

Based on Denmark’s decades of district heating planning experience, the Danish Energy Agency, together with external consultants, developed the District Heating Assessment Tool (DHAT) in 2016 to evaluate costs and benefits of district heating compared to individual heating. The Danish Energy Agency uses the tool in its collaborating partner countries to support the green transformation by drawing upon the Danish experience regarding cost-effective district heating with low carbon emissions.

The Danish Energy Agency and external consultants updated the DHAT tool in 2023. Under a district heating cooperation between the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China (MoHURD), the China Academy of Building Research (CABR) and Danish Energy Agency, two Chinese cities are selected as pilot for applying DHAT. One of the pilot project’s main goals is to engage local authorities and energy companies in DHAT in order to provide a concrete planning tool that shows them how much lower consumer costs can be achieved with district heating compared to individual heating and that a renewable future is feasible. As part of the collaboration with China, DHAT will be adjusted to local conditions regarding heat production, costs, and consumption.

In order to better present the DHAT to our Chinese partners about this tool, Danish Energy Agency has written two public reports. The first report, “Insights to Danish heat planning through modelling – the rationale behind the District Heating Assessment Tool”, explains the methodology behind the DHAT tool and its connection to Danish heat planning. Its purpose is to provide key insights into the significance of municipal heat planning and the role of modelling and scenario creation in facilitating informed decision-making.

The second report, “Technical insights into Danish District Heating Assessment Tool“, provides detailed explanations and guidance on how to operate the tool. Its purpose is to enrich users’ understanding of DHAT’s diverse elements and tabs, fostering a deeper comprehension of the tool’s design rationale and give an insight into the Danish heat planning methodology.

We share these two reports here in the hope that they will be of some inspiration to consultants working on district heating field, to municipalities and district heating companies considering establishing district heating. If you are interested in learning more about DHAT, please contact us.