Heat loss of plastic-jacket-pipes is measurable even under practice conditions. The slight temperature declines of an intact plastic jacket pipeline, the load fluctuations of a heating network and the unsteady conditions of the external heat transfer in the ground, impede an exact ascertainment of the absolute value of the heat conductivity, often also designated as λ-number. Field trials can be carried out quite precisely and permits statements on the degree of the reached improvement in the heat insulation.