A resource centre dedicated to "heating networks"

Cerema produces a set of knowledge along with technical and methodological tools on heating networks made available on a web platform (http://reseaux-chaleur.cerema.fr/). Cerema also works towards raising awareness and providing methodological support to local authorities for the deployment of heating networks and their inclusion in urban planning documents and climate plans.

Cerema provides local authorities and professionals with a series of tools

The "heating networks" web platform

It brings together all of Cerema's productions, relays regulatory changes and more recently, shares information related to France's participation in the international executive committee of heating and cooling networks organised by the IEA. For example, we find the following productions:

• The "heating and cooling networks" vade mecum;

• The guide to connecting condominiums to district heating networks;

• The "developing the supply of heat from anaerobic digestion" report;

• The "heating price and billing" data sheet.

The online self-training sequences

Two sequences are currently available online: “Initiation to heating networks” and “Integrating heating networks in planning documents”.

The first was designed to make all types of public aware of the functioning of a heating network, it takes about half a day to follow it in its entirety.

The second, more technical sequence is intended for technicians in charge of town planning or energy to help them take into account the heating networks within the different parts of planning and town planning documents (in particular SCoT, PLUi). A whole day is needed to complete this sequence.

The national map of heating requirements in France

Considering the challenges linked to the consumption and production of heat for Europe's energy transition, the European directive on energy efficiency in 2012 set the obligation for all Member States to produce a national map of heat requirements and potential sources for heat recovery.

Cerema supported the ministry in the development of this map over the 2013-2014 period. An update work is currently under way, in accordance with European requirements.

This map will be added to the Cerema Data platform, which already offers "energy" data in terms of:

• inventory of heating and cooling networks;

• municipal distribution of heating energy for homes in France;

• inventory of anaerobic digestion sites.