The main advantages of DHC are :

• control of environmental damage such as air pollution (CO₂, NO₂, CFC, HCFC), and thermal pollution (increasing temperature)
  
• efficient use of energy (co-generation,...)
  
• utilisation of unused energy sources for useful purposes (heat generated by office illumination or computers, garbage burning)
  
• prevention of urban disaster
  
• saving of labour
  
• efficient use of space
  
• design of buildings as one would wish (no cooling tower or chimneys on the top of the roof)
  
• possibility for the customer to use heat steadily

     Due to the increasing importance of environmental aspects, DHC will develop in most countries. To give a brief summary of heat supply operations in Japan, following the enactment of the Heat Supply Business Law in June 1972, the number of DHC (at the date of July 1995) exceeds 200.

    The main drawbacks of DHC are the considerable discrepancies in the minimum and maximum fluctuations in heating and cooling demand during the day, which in turn, affect the demand for electric power station. This factor consequently is developing into a major issue of energy policy. Besides, the demand for heating and cooling expands rapidly. To cope with these challenges, the best solution is to use the STL technology. STL allows to diminish peak usage by shifting the daytime load to the night time. At the scale of a nation, STL alleviates the imbalance in the usage structure of electric power between day and night. Cost savings are achieved through the night time consumption of electricity and the load factor on power generating facilities as reduced. Furthermore, STL allows to save space which is an important aspect on modern cities.

     So far, in Japan, two DHC facilities were equiped by Mitsubishi Petrochemical Engineering Co. with the STL technology. One is located in Fukuoka, having heat capacity of 30 525 kWh / 8 680 RT.hr (555 m³), and the other one is in Yokohama for Minato Mirai 21 DHC. This STL operational since April 1994, is one of the world largest thermal storage system having a heat capacity of 121 000 kWh /34405 RT.hr (2 200 m³).

     Thanks to MPEC to have demonstrated in Fukuoka and Yokohama the success of the STL in terms of electricity shifting and load leveling, the STL is now attracting the great interest of people involved in DHC.