Our vision is to have decisive influence on Danish energy policy and to
maintain the leading position of district heating
Danish District Heating Association (DDHA) is a member organisation
representing 400 district heating companies. These companies account for
98% of the district heating sold in Denmark.
Our members span from small cooperatively owned companies, supplying a few
hundred households, to large municipal utilities, serving several hundred
thousand consumers. Member companies distribute heat produced in generating
plants owned by themselves or by others. The plants are fuelled with fossil
fuels, biomass or refuse.
Heat can also come as waste heat from industry or from geothermic sources.
In Denmark, 1.5 million households are connected to collective district
heating networks. Some 60% of the Danish population is thus kept warm by
district heating.
The primary objective of DDHA is to safeguard the interests of the district
heating sector in all aspects of energy policy, duties and taxation,
environmental policy, etc.
The association cooperates closely in many areas with the authorities and
other organisations within the energy sector.
And, as our members provide heating for more than half the Danish
population, it is not surprising that politicians, government officials and
other interested parties within the energy sector listen to what DDHA has
to say.
Internationally, DDHA cooperates with district heating organisations in the
other Nordic countries via NORDVARME and with similar organisations
throughout Europe via Euroheat & Power, the European association for
district heating, district cooling and combined heat and power production.
District heating has expanded considerably over the years and is now the
main
source of heating and hot water in Danish homes.
Our objectives
Energy supply is a key function in modern society. District heating makes a
significant contribution to the efficiency of the overall energy sector as
it utilises the energy wasted in other sectors, for example waste heat from
electricity generation and industry.
Furthermore, under environmentally controlled conditions, district heating
utilises the energy contained in complex or local fuels which others are
unwilling or unable to use.
Such fuels include refuse, straw, wood chips and biogas.
DDHA strives to ensure that Danish district heating companies continuously
provide consumers with an efficient, reliable and competitively priced
source of heat.
Only if consumers remain satisfied with their connection to district
heating networks, will it be possible in the long term to maintain the
unique position of district heating, and ensure that society continues to
benefit from the efficient energy it supplies.
DDHA therefore seeks political influence regarding all aspects of district
heating supplies. We are in constant dialogue with the authorities and
other organisations
within the energy sector. Today, the European Union has considerable
influence on the conditions experienced by the energy sector, and DDHA
therefore strives to influence European policy making through its
cooperation with international organisations.
What we do
DDHA unites the expertise available within the district heating sector.
Our members make their experience and knowledge available to others both
through active participation within the association itself and through DDHA
representation on external boards, commissions, etc. The association has
itself appointed a large number of committees and working groups with
responsibility for the many tasks to be performed by an important energy
sector like district
heating.
The DDHA secretariat has a staff of 20 with expertise in engineering,
economics, law, politics, media, etc.
In combination with the expertise of our member companies, the secretariat
ensures that DDHA is a qualified match for the authorities and other parts
of the energy
sector. The secretariat provides counselling to association members,
regardless whether the matter is of an economic, legal or technical nature.
In addition, DDHA collects statistical data on technological and financial
matters, thus providing an overview of the sector. Such material is an
important management tool for member companies, allowing them to make
mutual comparisons and to determine development trends over time.
DDHA publishes the monthly magazine FJERNVARMEN, which is not only a trade
journal for the entire district heating sector but also a source of
information on current political and technical issues for anyone with an
interest in district heating.
The DDHA website, www.danskfjernvarme.dk, is an important source of
information for all interested parties. The website channels information to
DDHA members, providing them with reports and other material to keep them
up to date on all relevant issues of current interest.
The DDHA secretariat is based in the association’s headquarters in Kolding.
DDHA is thus centrally located, both with respect to its possibilities for
safeguarding the interests of the sector and for maintaining contact to its
members.
Members
DDHA provides members with everyday assistance and organises the exchange
of knowledge and experience
Member service
The DDHA secretariat advises members on legal, financial and technical
matters. In this dynamic, constantly developing sector, DDHA keeps its
members up to date
in all aspects of day-to-day operations. The association publishes
newsletters on subjects of interest to the sector, and its guides and
instructions provide specific
tools for everyday plant operation.
Part of the www.danskfjernvarme.dk website is available to members only.
This section contains information on various areas of interest, general
newsletters,
specific guides and instructions, and current degreeday data.
Experience groups
The various experience groups organised under DDHA allow members to
exchange experience within their own field of interest. In one group, for
example, all
members use straw as fuel. In another, the members all purchase heat from
other generating plants. A third group provides a meeting place for
large-scale district
heating companies.
The experience groups are dynamic entities, continuously adapting to
current requirements. New groups are created while others are disbanded
once their
purpose has been fulfilled. Such experience groups epitomise one of the
major objectives of DDHA – to organise and encourage the exchange of
knowledge
and experience throughout the sector.
Every year, DDHA hosts a series of regional meetings throughout the
country.
These meetings help draw attention to political and technical issues of
current
interest.
Meetings
The DDHA Congress, held annually in October, is the main event of the year
in district heating circles. Some 1,500 participants enjoy two days of
talks on political and technical matters of topical interest. The congress
also provides an ideal opportunity for colleagues from all over the country
to meet.
DDHA is also co-organiser of a large annual conference on energy policy
attended by top Danish policy makers. The conference helps to push district
heating issues on to the political agenda.
Every spring, DDHA holds a series of regional meetings where a wide range
of topics is discussed. The meetings are mainly for board members and
operating personnel
of member companies.
With its comprehensive programme of courses, DDHA is the leading provider
of further education and training within the district heating
sector. Every year, the association offers a comprehensive programme of
courses. These are attended by some 900 people annually.
Seminars are arranged regularly, when the need for in-depth discussion
of topical issues arises.
About district heating
Economics
District heating provides Denmark with many economic advantages, among
other things by utilising energy that would otherwise be wasted. District
heating uses many types of fuel and these are often combined within
individual district
heating networks.
Many of the fuels are produced within Denmark, replacing imports, improving
the security of supply and contributing to national and local economies.
Denmark is a world leader in district heating. Danish district heating
technology is an important export, a fact that also benefits the Danish
economy.
Efficiency
About 75% of Denmark’s district heating is produced in combined heat and
power plants that generate both heat and electricity simultaneously.
This allows more than 90% of the fuel energy to be utilised, in comparison
with 40% utilisation if electricity alone is produced.
Such improved energy utilisation benefits both society and the environment.
District heating systems also utilise waste heat generated by industry and
in refuse incineration.
Environmentally friendly energy
In comparison with individual oil-fired boilers, district heating halves
energy consumption. If all heating were provided by individual oil-fired
boilers, CO2 emissions would be doubled.
40% of all district heating is generated without any CO2 emission at all,
thanks in part to the use of biofuels. Heat is generated in district
heating plants under controlled conditions, where emissions of hazardous
compounds are greatly reduced in comparison with biofuel incineration in
individual stoves.
Replacing individual heating with district heating benefits the
neighbourhood
environment as heat is generated under controlled conditions in plants
equipped with all necessary pollution control equipment.
Easy and trouble free
District heating is the world’s most convenient heating form. In everyday
life, consumers hardly notice how their radiators and tap water are heated.
District heating is odourless and takes up very little space in utility
rooms.
In addition, remote metering systems are becoming more common, saving
consumers any inconvenience.
District heating thus offers benefits for individual consumers and for
society
as a whole.