November 2013: The GLA have commissioned research into how district heating systems can work successfully in new developments as energy efficiency requirements continue to increase. The approval document sets out that:
“With the improving standards for insulation and air tightness to retain heat within developments, it is important that communal heating systems within buildings are designed so that they do not contribute towards buildings overheating.
“It is therefore proposed to procure consultants to carry out a study into how communal heating systems, specifically in residential schemes, implemented as a result of policy can be designed to avoid overheating.”
This issue of district heating and overheating was briefly touched upon in research undertaken by AECOM for the Department of Communities in 2012.