Upgrade DH
Upgrade DH: Upgrading the Performance of District Heating Networks in Europe

News & Events



Final Upgrade DH Project Report is available
Press Release - District Heating: an important contributor to support the energy transition in the heating sector
29.09.2021 District Heating: an important contributor to support the energy transition in the heating sector
09.07.2021 Check the brochure "District heating and cooling - a modern solution to traditional challenges"
09.07.2021 Join German expert knowlede sharing workshop on 18.08.2021
02.07.2021 Join the Final Upgrade DH Conference on 15 September 2021
29.06.2021 Energy transition - Lithuania sets records in speed and scope
14.06.2021 Video on solar thermal energy in district heating
26.05.2021 Join the Virtual Power Plant Tour and Webinar on Efficient and Renewable Heat Networks on 16.06.2021
27.04.2021 Press release - UpgradeDH recommendations to support national District Heating & Cooling Action Plans
07.04.2021 Tuzla joins #DHCities in the campaign We are all connected
12.02.2021 Join the webinar Retrofitting DHC - How to develop a successful action plan, 23.02.2021
14.01.2021 Webinar: Retrofitting with renewable energies - finding the right mix, 26.01.2021
30.10.2020 Online Upgrade DH Workshop on 12.11.2020 alongside the KeepWarm final event
30.10.2020 Photo competition Meet the ones who keep you warm! in the framework of the #DHCitizen campaign
02.10.2020 Digital Event: The Future of district heating in Italy
EU project UpgradeDH launches campaign: Become a #DHCitizen!
3.07.2019 New handbook on upgrading district heating grids in Europe published
27.05.2020 Webinar on upgrading heat distribution and piping technologies
29.04.2020: A series of public thematic webinars by UpgradeDH partners
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Salcininkai, Lithuania

Salcininkai region is located in the south-eastern part of Lithuania, at the border with Belarus. The total area of Salcininkai region is 1,419.4 km2. According to the data received in 2018 there are 428 small and average companies in Salcininkai region. Salcininkai city is located 45 km from Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. The city has around 7,000 inhabitants.

Salcininku silumos tinklai, Ltd. is the supplier of the district heating system in Salcininkai and is in charge of providing heat energy supply to households, state authorities and businesses in city and within the district. Salcininku silumos tinklai, Ltd. is founded in 2000 and is 100% owned by the Regional Municipality. The installed heat production capacity is 54.04 MW, the amount of heat supplied to DH networks in 2017 was 39.2 GWh, consumption –29.5 GWh. About 2,200 consumers are connected to the DH network, 97 proc. of consumers are inhabitants who live in multistory buildings. The company involves more than 70 employees.

The main fuel used for DH production is woodchips with 74%, the fossil fuels is around 14.4% and other wood fuels - 11.6 %. In the Salcininkai region the heat is transmitted to the consumers through 18.7 km long pipeline, which was constructed mostly during the 1980-1990 period and their age is around 20-30 years old. Thermal isolation is made according to old soviet building norms and it is the reason for the big heat losses in the network. The heat losses of the network in 2017 were 24 % from the total produced heat.

Specific challenges of DH system are:

  • The technical condition of the district heating networks is poor and needs improvement. In the city network, a significant part of the damages is caused by the external corrosion of pipes. The main factors, which have an effect on the damages in district heating networks, are the age of networks, the quality of construction works and the network operation conditions.
  • Lack of investment;
  • The unsatisfactory condition of DH networks and unreliable heat supply can place doubt on the future of district heating and consumers can make a choice towards an alternative heat supplier. Therefore, Upgrade DH project can help to initiate the upgrading process of this old DH network.

Current plans and ideas for the upgrading of the existing DH network

The scale of damages can be diminished by reducing the average age of the networks. This is possible by replacing old pipelines and other network system elements. The unsatisfactory condition of DH networks and unreliable heat supply can place doubt on the future of district heating and consumers can make a choice towards an alternative heat supplier.

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