Call: Improving the performance of inefficient district heating networks

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District heating's share on heat supply in Europe is about 12%, with some Member States and Associated Countries having a much higher share. In order to preserve existing heating networks and to increase their efficiency, successful approaches to diagnosing and retrofitting inefficient networks, including sustainable business and organisational models, have to be widely promoted and disseminated.

Actions are needed to accelerate the cost effective and energy efficient retrofitting existing, inefficient district heating networks.

Activities supported under this topic should replicate or develop successful technical, managerial, organisational and financial approaches and should lead to the initiation of concrete schemes that guarantee substantial primary energy savings and efficiency gains, including the use of renewable and residual sources of heat as appropriate. Proposals should engage and involve as necessary, those in charge of city networks, district heating companies, managers of buildings blocks, housing associations and other building owners/managers and end consumers. Proposals should also lead to the development of concrete regional or national action plans for the retrofitting of inefficient district heating networks.

As necessary, actions should consider interventions that are needed on the building side, e.g. retrofitting and / or modifications of internal heat distribution systems and system and end user controls. They should also take into account the evolution of thermal demand in the future due to improving building energy performance standards and increased rate of building renovations.

Taking into account the nature of the activity and with the objective to maximize the European Added Value and European market uptake through transnational collaboration, the following additional eligibility criteria apply:
1. at least three legal entities shall participate in an action;
2. each of the three legal entities shall be established in a different Member State or Associated Country
3. all three legal entities shall be independent of each ot her within the meaning of Article 8 of the Rules for Participation.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between 1 and 2 million € would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. This does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Funding rate: 100%