Frequently asked questions

The energy transition has so far been limited almost entirely to the electricity sector. The supply of space heating, process heat, hot water and cooling energy accounts for around 60 per cent of Germany’s final energy consumption and thus a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. In the housing stock in particular, around 80 per cent of heat still comes from fossil fuels.
This means that the heat supply represents the largest lever within the energy transition.

Geopolitical developments of recent years have shown how dependence on imported fossil fuels causes instability and skyrocketing prices. Locally generated renewable heat can make us more independent and ensure price stability. In the medium term, renewable heat will still be more expensive overall than oil and gas, but we will be able to cushion price shocks such as those in 2022. Both people and companies benefit from this planning certainty.

Converting the heat supply is very complex. Heat cannot be transported over long distances, but must be generated locally. The local conditions in terms of renewable heat potential, energy infrastructure, development and economic structure are also different everywhere. That’s why local solutions are needed. Overall, the heat supply must be considered regionally and seasonally. Municipalities have a key role to play here. Municipal Heat Planning provides them with the right tool to initiate the process.

Municipal Heat Planning entails determining current and future heat requirements, including potential savings, and analysing the potential for renewable heat generation. Various target scenarios are created on this basis. The various solutions are weighed up and concrete implementation measures are then planned.

Municipal Heat Planning is designed to reduce complexity. Initially, it breaks down the heat transition into a few key questions:

• Which areas are suitable for supply via a heating network and in which areas are individual heat pumps the better option?
• Which renewable energy sources are available regionally and can be fed into the grid?
• To what extent can consumption be reduced or efficiency increased?

These questions are answered as part of Municipal Heat Planning and thus a heating plan is drawn up which, where possible, identifies clear implementation options, but in many parts of the municipality should rather be seen as a starting point for further planning. The heating plan will not define in detail where and when which type of heat supply will be used for the entire municipality. Instead, it offers clear guidance on how to initiate the heat transition.

As a centralised supply technology, heating networks can be fed simultaneously from various renewable sources such as solar thermal energy, geothermal energy and unavoidable waste heat. They can also incorporate heat storage units that make heat from the summer usable on cold winter days.

For decentralised supply, on the other hand, there is only one real option for renewable heating: heat pumps. They generate heat very efficiently from electricity and environmental energy. Other decentralised heating technologies are only used on a very selective basis. The use of wood, biogas or hydrogen in heating systems will also play a subordinate role in view of their limited availability and the relatively high cost of hydrogen.