Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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District heating should be distinguished from group or communal heating. District Heating schemes are large-scale systems that are supplied by one or several centralised or decentralised heat sources and serve multiple buildings and multiple customers. Group, or communal, heating schemes, such as Carlinn Hall, are smaller-scale systems that typically supply single buildings or complexes.

At the request of the District Heating Steering Group established on foot of CAP 2021, a research project was initiated to assess the viability of retrofitting an existing communal heating system with a shallow geothermal energy source. An independent consultancy was commissioned by SEAI to undertake this research. The aims of the study were to understand how a typical communal heating system operates in Ireland and to assess options for alternative low carbon heat sources. I understand that the report is expected to be published in early October.

The District Heating Steering Group Report approved by Government in July contains a range of recommendations to set the future policy direction for development of district heating, including the development of an appropriate regulatory and legal framework for the sector.

Having fulfilled its initial mandate, the Steering Group has now been reconstituted to focus on delivery and implementation of the Government approved Report, and it now sits under the auspices of the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce, which has been established to accelerate and drive delivery in relation to retrofitting, renewable heat, district heat and decarbonisation of the building stock.