What is the difference between CHP, CCHP, BCHP, DER, IES?
Many new terms and acronyms are entering common usage that mean basically the same thing, generation of electricity near the customer’s facility so that waste heat can be recovered and used. The terms differ in where the emphasis is placed. CCHP stresses that combined cooling, heating, and power production occur, whereas combined heating and power in CHP may or may not use the recovered heat for cooling purposes. BCHP is just CHP applied to a building as opposed to a district heating system or industrial process. DER is distributed energy resources, the use of small generating facilities distributed close to the consumers either with or without heat recovery. IES is an integrated energy system that recovers waste heat from on-site or near-site power generation to provide hot water, steam, heating, cooling, or dehumidifying air for buildings.
