An efficient method for numerical simulation and analyses of the steady state hydraulics of complex pipeline networks is presented. It is based on the loop model of the network and the method of square roots for solving the system of linear equations. The procedure is presented in the comprehensive mathematical form that could be straightforwardly programmed into a computer code. An application of the method to energy efficiency analyses of a real complex district heating system is demonstrated. The obtained results show a potential for electricity savings in pumps operation. It is shown that the method is considerably more effective than the standard Hardy Cross method still widely used in engineering practice. Because of the ease of implementation and high efficiency, the method presented in this paper is recommended for hydraulic steady state calculations of complex networks. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.