The sustainability of a heat network is expressed in the equivalent generation efficiency. This factor shows the ratio between heat supplied versus the use of fossil fuels. Ennatuurlijk's heat network (both the primary and secondary network) has an equivalent generation efficiency of 600 percent. This means that generating and supplying sufficient heat to the households and businesses in the network requires 80 per cent less fossil fuels.

Sustainable Heat
Together with the municipality, housing corporations, residents, and other parties in Enschede, Ennatuurlijk is working on a more sustainable community. Currently 8,000 Enschede homes and businesses are already hooked up to Ennatuurlijk's district heating. The sustainable heating, produced from biomass, is supplied by Twence. The fuel for the biomass energy installation consists of waste wood, such as wood left over from construction and renovation projects that cannot be reused. Since April 2018, work is being done on expanding the heat network with a six-kilometre long heating pipeline. It will make it possible to supply a total of 40,000 homes and businesses in Enschede with sustainable heat.

'With Enschede's district heating and its expansion, we are taking a big step in making Enschede more sustainable,' says Marc Kapteijn, general director of Twence. 'We have sufficient heat available, and thanks to strong partnerships in the region, we can offer this sustainable alternative to yet more regional homes and businesses. A great example of the energy transition in the Twente region.'

'We're proud that it has now been confirmed with an official quality statement that the district heating in Enschede makes an important contribution to reducing climate change,' says Erik Strong, general director of Ennatuurlijk. 'Our heat network in Enschede is the most sustainable one in the Netherlands. This is a great encouragement to continue to roll it out and to form new partnerships as well.'

Equivalent Generation Efficiency
The equivalent generation efficiency is determined by calculating all contributions to the energy usage and loss of the network. For instance, it looks at heat generation, heat loss during transport, and the generation efficiency. Heat suppliers can document the equivalent energy efficiency in a quality statement from CRG. This offers advantages for businesses, housing corporations, and governments because it makes the energy performance of participating companies and homes demonstrable.