Overview of multi-attribute decision-analysis tools for selecting investment options in municipal district heating systems

Abstract

Municipal district heating systems in Polish cities constitute important elements of these municipalities (and not only of their technical infrastructures). Due to the nature of the basic service that is provided – providing heat (and perhaps year-round comfort in the future) – these systems can be perceived as important parts of the social infrastructures of the cities, creating the appropriate conditions for the existence of people, the functioning of social infrastructure facilities, and the operations of enterprises. The need for heating companies to adapt to any changes in the requirements that arise as a result of the economic, social, environmental, and (increasingly) political and legal changes that take place in its immediate and distant environment requires the implementation of investments. However, the effects of such investments are multidimensional and largely difficult to measure, they depend on the passage of time and complex conditions that are related to the pursuit of sustainable development and security. Their reliable assessment therefore requires the use of appropriate tools. This paper is devoted to an analysis of the practical usefulness of multi-attribute decision-analysis tools in this context, taking various types of such tools into account as well as the conditions for their effective applications. The most promising of these tools is also introduced and discussed.