Imagine if every building in an urban neighborhood has a gasoline-powered generator running to produce electricity instead of relying on an electrical grid from the local utility company. Maybe every balcony in a high-rise building has a little generator churning away to charge cell phones and power TVs. Would that seem odd? Why are so many heating systems single-unit sized?
When thinking of district energy applications and energy transfer pipe, normally a large city comes to mind. District steam systems in New York City and Denver are two examples. Typically, enormous steel pipes under streets feed a block of buildings with water or steam, but district energy doesn’t have to be that big.