The new dimensioning method of the district heating network

•Probabilistic hot water consumption.•Dimensioning the district heating (DH) network considering the probability of hot water consumption.•The heat loss calculation of the DH network.•Determination of pumping costs for the DH network.•Decrease in the construction cost of the DH network, boiler power, pumping costs and DH network heat losses with the new calculation method.

Optimal dimensioning of the district heating (DH) network is essential for successful use of DH. Two methods of DH network dimensioning have been compared for the tree figure network. The new method is based on a probabilistic determination of the flow rate for hot water heating.In the article, network dimensioning, heat loss, and the basics of calculating the cost of electricity for pumping are presented. A specific reference calculation is made for a tree figure network with 10 consumers. It is seen that the new method of calculation decreases the power of boilers by 45%, the cost of the DH network by 12%, and the pumping cost by 35%.