Module 1 · Unit 1 · 4 minutes
These four terms provide the vocabulary used throughout the module. Open each definition before continuing.
“Decarbonised Heat” describes the transition from fossil-fuel-based heating systems toward low-carbon, renewable, and energy-efficient heating solutions. Today, heating is still mainly produced through individual gas or oil boilers installed in single buildings. These systems consume large amounts of fossil fuels and generate significant carbon dioxide emissions.
The decarbonised heating transition aims to replace these isolated heating systems with more sustainable and interconnected solutions. Instead of every building producing heat individually, future energy systems will increasingly rely on centralized and renewable heat production connected through district heating and cooling networks.
However, decarbonisation is not only about replacing one technology with another. It is about fundamentally redesigning how heat is produced, distributed, stored, and used.
The overall goal of decarbonised heat is to provide reliable and affordable heating while drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
“Efficiency-first” means that before producing more energy, the first priority should always be to reduce energy demand and avoid unnecessary energy losses. In the heating sector, a large amount of energy is still wasted. To be more energy-efficient, this can mean for buildings
For companies and public organizations, adopting a three-steps approach is a sensible way to increase energy savings and energy efficiency. The three steps can be broken down as follows:
An efficiency-first approach reduces the energy input, therefore reduces costs for fuel, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and decreases the amount of renewable energy infrastructure needed in the future.
In short, the cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy that never has to be produced in the first place.
A key part of the Decarbonised Heating and Cooling Transition is electrification. As electricity production increasingly comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar, heating systems can become cleaner by replacing fossil fuels with electricity-based technologies like heat pumps. Heat pumps are highly efficient because they transfer existing environmental heat instead of generating heat through combustion. The energy efficiency from electricity to heat is around 350 %.
Electrification also connects the heating and electricity sectors, creating greater flexibility. Heat can be stored when renewable electricity is abundant and used later when demand is higher. This interaction, known as sector coupling, helps balance fluctuations in renewable electricity production and supports the stability of future energy systems.
Today, energy experts are developing what are known as fifth-generation district heating and cooling networks. These next-generation systems operate very differently from conventional heating networks. Instead of distributing extremely hot water through large pipes, they work with much lower temperatures (because of that: highly energy efficient) and integrate renewable and recovered energy sources as
One of the biggest advantages of fifth-generation district heating and cooling networks is their ability to provide both heating and cooling through the same infrastructure. Buildings are no longer only energy consumers, they can also become energy suppliers. Excess heat from one building can be transferred back into the network and reused by another building nearby.