Customers

The development of heat deliveries from Swedish district heating systems from the start in 1948 until 1989 is presented in figure 1, while the annual average prices of heat delivered during the last 20 years are presented in figure 2 for the Swedish cost level of September l990. The customer composition for 1988 appears in table 1.

District heating in Sweden has high market shares for heating public and commercial premises and apartment buildings. The market penetration is low for industrial premises, industrial processes, and detached houses .

Out of 2,17 million apartments in apartment buildings, district heating satisfies heating of 1,42 million apartments, giving district heating a market share of 66 % . The rest of the apartments in Sweden are heated by fuel oil (29 %) and electricity (4 %). The reason for the high market share for district heating is of course the high heat densities in areas with apartment buildings.

Only 0,10 million detached houses, out of the total of l,67 million, use district heat, which gives a market share off 6 %. Other detached houses are heated by electricity (> 50 %), fuel oil (> 30%), heat pumps, and firewood. The competitiveness of district heating is low in areas of detached houses, since the low heat densities give high distribution costs and high distribution heat losses.

| Heat Load | District Heating in Sweden 1948-1990 |