The Danish Energy Agency has adjusted its methodology note so that biogas can now be included positively in the calculations. This means that several district heating companies are now rated “green” in the so-called traffic light model.
The Danish Energy Agency recently revised the methodology behind the ranking model used to assess the climate footprint of district heating companies. The change allows companies to include the biogas share in pipeline gas when calculating fossil emissions from their gas consumption.
As a result, more companies can now achieve a green rating in the traffic light model — a development already visible for companies such as CTR, HOFOR, and VEKS.
“It’s positive that the Energy Agency now clearly encourages companies to include the biogas share. This adjustment ensures that the ranking model better reflects the real climate impact of district heating,” says Rune Moesgaard, Head of Policy at Danish District Heating Association (Dansk Fjernvarme).
Danish District Heating Association: The model should be abolished
Despite the positive adjustment, the Danish District Heating Association continues to argue that the ranking model should be abolished altogether. According to the association, this view is gaining traction among policymakers — not least because other relevant consumer information tools already exist, including the district heating declaration.
In the long term, the model may also become problematic. Under the current methodology, a gas boiler could, due to the introduction of green gas cross-checks, potentially reach zero fossil emissions by 2032, while heat pumps may still show fossil emissions for several years thereafter.
What is the ranking model?
The Danish Energy Agency’s ranking model is a traffic light system classifying district heating companies as green, yellow, or red based on their emissions compared to individual alternatives.
The model has, among other things, been used on housing listings to give homeowners and buyers a quick indication of the climate footprint from district heating in a given area.
However, critics argue that the model does not always reflect the real climate effect, and that better, existing information tools are already available.
Translation from the original article in Danish by Niels Peter Berg, Danish District Heating Association – Illustration: Danish District Heating Association
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