Glossary of terms

FlatStations (Heat Interface Units, or HIUs) are located at the interfaces between a communal heating system and each individual user. Hot water is generated in a centralized plant room using high efficiency heat generators such as combined heat and power (CHP), and is then circulated through flow and return mains. At each dwelling interface, a Heat Interface Unit draws only as much heat as the user requires from the circulating hot water. The interface circuits are kept hydraulically separate by a compact plate heat exchanger, so that when demand ceases from any individual dwelling, no further heat crosses the interface.