Rehau launches new myth-busting district heating guide

With heat networks still only contributing around 2% of the UK’s total heat demand, Rehau has released a new guide to help M&E consultants and contractors better understand the use of pre-insulated pipes in district heating systems.

Breaking Down the Barriers is a 12-page guide aiming to improve the industry’s understanding of heat networks and bust some commonly held misconceptions surrounding district heating pipework.

The guide delves into the world of district heating, which uses a variety of sources, including gas and energy from waste and renewable energy sources, to provide heat demand for a number of buildings, whether residential, commercial or multi-occupancy.

It also explores the benefits of this heat network, which offers carbon savings via local heat generation, lower bills to end users and can help reduce fuel poverty, lower maintenance and fuel security.

The guide also takes on some common misconceptions surrounding district heating and the use of polymer pipes in these heat networks. Questions such as, are specialist welding teams required for installation? And are polymer pipes only suited for small networks and house connections? Are answered. And later in the guide M&E Contractors are given five top tips to consider when working on district heating projects.

Breaking Down the Barriers is the second free-to-download guide to be published under Rehau‘s Build Your Legacy campaign – an initiative devised to encourage M&E Contractors to consider how the product choices they make today will impact on a building’s performance in years to come. It focuses on the four key ways to deliver more sustainable, future-proof installations by addressing quality, technical knowhow, trust and reliability, and innovation and sustainability.

Steve Richmond, head of marketing and technical for building solutions at Rehau, said: “District heating systems offer so many benefits and according to estimates could contribute as much as 17% of heat to our homes and 24% of heat to commercial buildings by 2050 – ultimately supporting the UK’s goal to reduce carbon emissions.

“But if we are to use this system as it has been in Europe, we must bust open some common misconceptions around district heating and the use of polymer pipes and encourage its adoption. This guide takes on many of these concerns and reassures contractors that their projects will leave a positive legacy for the building users for many years to come.”

Already released as part of the Build Your Legacy campaign was The Sound of Silence guide – the M&E Contractor’s essential guide to acoustic soil and waste pipework. Further guides to be released will discuss 21st Century Plumbing and Heating, and Multi-occupancy Buildings.

To download your guide or to find out more information please visit www.rehau.uk/buildyourlegacy