Social And Economic Dimensions Of District Heating: A Case Study

Among major contemporary issues, energy resources and sustainability have caused global concern, thus, emphasizing a more rational use of energy systems and renewable sources for power and heat generation systems, such as district heating. In Greece, energy resources and environmental issues have been given great emphasis. Recently, environmentally friendly policies have been focused on relevant laws, incentives for renewable energy implementation schemes, and applications of new technologies. In this context, there has been a considerable increase in the number of district heating units, and, as a consequence, in the variety of financial, environmental, and power generation benefits. Major district heating facilities have been established in various areas, among which Ptolemaida, Amyntaio, Kozani, Serres, and Megalopolis. The present survey, which was carried out to investigate the socio-economic dimensions of district heating, was based on a representative sample from Ptolemaida, where winter is long, weather conditions are harsh, and district heating units are close to large PPC facilities. The corpus of data was drawn from the analysis of a structured questionnaire comprised of two parts with 21 questions answered through social media by residents, in April and May 2019. The 401 questionnaires were analyzed, first, by employing descriptive statistics and, subsequently, via SPSS. The research results demonstrate that, before district heating was introduced, heating generation mostly relied on oil-fired boiler systems, the heating cost of which was changeable in contrast to district heating prices, which are rather fixed, and, thus, affordable. In addition, the results indicated that a reduction in imported oil consumption is conducive to national economic growth. Heating quality in district heating systems is considered fairly high mainly in terms of the high thermal efficiency it provides. District heating has greatly contributed to reducing pollutants and protecting the environment, especially in areas such as Ptolemaida, which is heavily affected. Finally, the research also demonstrated that an overwhelming majority perceive the crisis as a great opportunity for fostering ecology awareness and the use of renewable energy.