Notes that district heating and cooling (DHC) can provide multiple opportunities for reducing air emissions associated with space conditioning and electricity generation. When DHC is combined with cogeneration (CHP), maximum reductions in SOx, NOx and CO2, particulates and ozone-depleting CFC refrigerants can be most effectively achieved. Notes the difficulty of quantifying these reductions, hindering the acceptance of DHC and CHP as strategies for air quality improvement. Reports how the recent development and release of a number of computer models designed specifically to provide quantification of air emissions resulting from DHC and CHP implementation will improve this situation.

KEYWORDS: year 1996, Outdoor, air pollution, calculating, combined heat and power, district heating, district cooling