Heat Pumps and District-Scale Thermal Systems Could Replace Natural Gas Heating

A study is underway in Massachusetts to investigate the feasibility of replacing natural gas heating with neighborhood scale district heating systems that use ground-source heat pump technology. BuroHappold Engineering will perform the GeoMicroDistrict Feasibility Study for local nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET). The project will evaluate technical and economic issues for installing new ground-source heat pump systems in typical street conditions, ranging from residential neighborhoods to denser commercial districts.
 
Streets with shared ground-source heat pump systems could eventually link up into larger “geo-microdistricts” for greater efficiencies and performance. The project will develop guidelines for selecting and sizing system components based on site and building characteristics, and associated costs. Case studies will be developed to identify best practices and lessons learned from other communities and jurisdictions.
 
The potential to replace natural gas infrastructure with a network of neighborhood-scale district heating systems is timely. More than one-quarter of Massachusetts’s aging natural gas infrastructure is undergoing a $9 billion replacement project paid by utility customer rate increases.

Read more