Direct Use of Geothermal Resources

Iceland is well known to be a world leader in the use of geothermal district heating. After the second World War, the National Energy Authority carried out research and development, which has led to the use of geothermal resources for heating of households. Today, almost 90% of Iceland's houses and buildings are heated by natural hot water.

Space heating is the largest component in the direct use of geothermal energy in Iceland. The figure here on the right gives a breakdown of the utilization of geothermal energy for 2008. In the year 2008, the total use of geothermal energy was 39 PJ, with space heating accoun- ting for 48%.