Municipal heat planning

The "Heat Planning and Decarbonisation of Heating Networks Act" has been in force since 1 January 2024 Heat Planning Act. Eberswalde is therefore obliged to draw up and publish a municipal heating plan by 30 June 2028. The aim of the municipal heating plan is to restructure the heating supply by 2045 in such a way that it does not cause any further greenhouse gas emissions.

The reorganisation of the heating supply is a long-term process that also involves high investments. In order to guarantee planning security for all those affected as early as possible, the city of Eberswalde would like to be finished with the planning before the statutory deadline.

The development of the municipal heating plan for Eberswalde therefore began in September 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. By then, an analysis of the current situation and potential must be carried out, from which target scenarios and an implementation strategy with concrete measures will be developed. The municipal heating plan is the result of all the data and results.

The municipal heating plan for Eberswalde is expected to be finalised by the end of 2025.

Click here to go directly to the results.

A lot of data needs to be collected in order to draw up the municipal heating plan. Personal data is not collected in this context. The required data is only collected on an "aggregated" basis. This means that several buildings are summarised and an average value is calculated. It is therefore not possible to draw any conclusions about specific information such as the heating requirements of individual people or households.

In accordance with Section 14 of the Heat Planning Act, the planning authority examines the urban area as part of a suitability test for sub-areas that are highly likely to be suitable for heating not are suitable for being supplied by a heating network or a hydrogen network. If such areas are identified, shortened heat planning can be carried out there. This means that buildings in these areas will have to be supplied with heat via decentralised, i.e. building-related, heat supply systems in future.

Result heating networks

With regard to possible heating networks, the suitability test comes to the conclusion that no area should be excluded from the existing and potential analysis. This is due in particular to the fact that heating networks can also be an economical alternative to decentralised supply options in areas with low building density under certain conditions that require further analysis. Without a sound data basis from the inventory analysis, it is therefore not possible to make a reliable decision as to whether areas should be excluded from full heat planning. It is also assumed that heat potential, such as ambient heat, is available in all districts. This potential will only be analysed in more detail in the potential analysis.

Result hydrogen networks

Hydrogen networks, on the other hand, can already be excluded from municipal heating planning. Due to the current market development and the faltering market ramp-up, a lack of economic viability and unclear availability of hydrogen for private heating supply must be assumed. In addition, under the current political and regulatory framework conditions, EWE-Netz as the gas network operator is not planning to convert the gas distribution networks to hydrogen in accordance with Section 71k (1) GEG in the municipality of Eberswalde.

Planning in accordance with Section 71k (1) GEG for the conversion of the gas distribution network to hydrogen, meaning that there is no valid basis for municipal heating planning. For this reason, no suitability areas for hydrogen networks are identified in the heating plan.

The inventory and potential analysis as part of the municipal heat planning for Eberswalde has been completed. The results can be downloaded in the PDF file linked here.

In a nutshell: the municipal heating plan does not create any obligations for anyone. Rather, the municipal heating plan (KWP) is a strategic roadmap that provides initial recommendations and a basis for decision-making for the municipality and the stakeholders to be involved. The results of the analyses are initially not legally binding. However, they can and should be used to orientate municipal decisions towards the goal of a greenhouse gas-neutral heat supply.

The heating plan proposes specific measures for (further) developing the heating supply infrastructure and integrating renewable energies. The KWP thus provides an important basis for further urban and energy planning, in particular for the city administration, city policy and energy suppliers.

The CHP must contain measures that enable the start of the heating transition in the municipality. Which measures make sense depends on the local circumstances and the potential identified.

Municipal heating planning is not a static concept, but an ongoing process. This means that the CHP is revised regularly (at least every five years) and adapted to new developments. The heat plan is continuously improved through co-operation and discussion between the stakeholders involved.

The Building Energy Act (GEG) and municipal heat planning in accordance with the Federal Heat Planning Act (WPG) complement each other, but are largely independent of each other.

The GEG relates to individual buildings and specifies requirements for heating systems in individual buildings. The KWP, on the other hand, relates to the energy supply at a higher, city-wide level. Nevertheless, both instruments pursue a common goal: to reduce CO2 emissions in the building and heating sector and increase energy efficiency.

According to the GEG, new requirements have been in force since 1 January 2024, according to which newly installed heating systems must in future generate 65 percent of the heat provided by the system with renewable energies or unavoidable waste heat (so-called 65 percent EE requirement). Existing heating systems may continue to be repaired and operated.

The requirements are open to all technologies. In addition to the possibility of individual verification based on calculations, the GEG offers various flat-rate options for fulfilling the 65 per cent EE target. One of these options is connection to a heating network. The GEG therefore also contains regulations that link it to heat planning.

These regulations apply immediately to new buildings in new development areas and only apply to all other buildings once the deadlines stipulated by the WPG for the creation of heating plans have expired. This is intended to give citizens the opportunity to base their choice of climate-friendly heating on the contents of the heating plans.

This deadline for Eberswalde is 30 June 2028.

If the heat plan is adopted before this deadline, this does not lead to premature activation of the 65 per cent EE target in accordance with GEG Section 71 sentence 8.

This requires a separate resolution in the form of a statute that defines so-called "areas for the construction or expansion of heating networks" or "hydrogen network expansion areas" in accordance with Section 26 WPG. For buildings located in such an area, the 65 per cent EE target applies at the latest one month after the resolution has been passed. It is not possible to say at this stage whether such a statute will be adopted for Eberswalde.

Without such a decision, a transitional regulation applies until the above-mentioned deadlines, according to which heating systems with less than 65% renewable energy can be installed. This is subject to the condition that the proportion of renewable energies in operation must be gradually increased (15% from 2029, 30% from 2035 and 60% from 2040).

From 1 January 2045 at the latest, heating systems may no longer be operated with fossil fuels. All heating systems and the supply from heating networks must then be converted to 100 % renewable energies or unavoidable waste heat.

In this way, the Building Energy Act and municipal heating planning are interlinked in order to coordinate investment decisions at individual building and area level in the direction of a sustainable, efficient and cost-effective heating supply.

As part of the heat planning process, suitable areas are identified on the basis of key energy indicators, among other things. Based on the inventory analysis, these areas appear to be suitable in principle for the construction of heating networks - if the basic conditions are right. However, additional tests and planning are still required to determine exactly whether the areas are actually suitable for heating networks.

Based on the suitability areas, the next step is to draw up expansion plans for the heating network expansion areas. These plans not only take into account the heat demand density, but also other factors such as economic, political and legal aspects as well as the availability of potential renewable energy sources. The city, project developers and heating network operators are working together on these expansion plans. The expansion of the heating networks by 2040 and the switch to renewable heat will take place gradually and depends on various factors. Precise expansion plans, which also include the timescales for development at street level, will be published by the city or the energy suppliers or network operators as soon as possible after detailed investigations have been completed.

The municipal heating plan primarily serves as a strategic planning basis and identifies possible fields of action for the municipality. The sub-areas for heating networks, stand-alone networks and individual supply solutions as well as the specific measures identified in the heating plan should not be understood as a final, irrefutable "clarification of all issues". Rather, they serve as a starting point for further considerations, detailed economic and technical analyses and should therefore be taken into account at the relevant municipal interfaces.

Residents are informed and involved at an early stage, particularly in the development of heating networks, but also in areas that are not suitable for heating networks in the long term. This ensures that individual decisions to convert a building's heat supply are made in line with municipal planning.

I am a tenant:ininform yourself about any planned measures and talk to your landlord about possible changes.

I am a landlord:inconsider the recommendations of the KWP for refurbishments or new builds and analyse the profitability of possible options for action at building level, such as refurbishment, connection to a heating network, installation of a heat pump or biomass heating with regard to the long-term increase in the value of the property and possible rent adjustments.

I am a building owner:incheck whether your building is located in a suitable area for heating networks. If this is the case, it is advisable to wait for the detailed expansion plans of a network operator. These will be presented to the public when they are finalised. If your property is located outside one of the heating network suitability areas listed in this heating plan, it is unlikely that it will be connected to a heating network.

However, there are numerous alternative measures that you can take to improve energy efficiency and reduce your CO₂-Emissions. Heating technologies powered by renewable energies can help to cover the heat and electricity requirements of your property more sustainably. These include, for example, installing a heat pump powered by heat from the ground or ambient air, or switching to biomass heating. For the latter technology, however, it should be noted that the demand for biogas, pellets and wood chips is likely to rise sharply in the coming years and decades due to the heat transition taking place almost simultaneously everywhere in Germany and Europe, driving up biogas and biomass prices. It is therefore advisable to also consider installing solar systems to cover electricity and/or heat requirements.

You should also check which energy-efficient refurbishments can contribute to improving the energy efficiency of your building. The creation of a so-called "Customised refurbishment roadmap", which is based on a holistic, detailed analysis of the property and can include measures such as insulating the roof and façade, replacing the windows or hydraulically balancing the heating system. Modern ventilation systems with heat recovery are another option for increasing energy efficiency and living comfort.

There are also various funding programmes that you can take advantage of. These range from federal funding for efficient buildings to possible programmes at state level. An individual energy consultation can also provide you with further recommendations tailored to your specific needs.

About the Consumer advice centre you can receive initial advice on issues relating to building refurbishment and climate protection measures for your building.

Stakeholder participation is a central component of municipal heating planning and crucial to its success. Expert discussions and workshops are used to integrate different perspectives, particularly from specialised stakeholders such as municipal utilities, energy suppliers and housing companies. This collaboration ensures that local knowledge and technical expertise are used effectively to develop practicable solutions that can be implemented once the heating plan has been drawn up.

In addition to the technical level, stakeholder participation also contributes to acceptance. By involving political decision-makers and informing the public at an early stage, transparency is created that strengthens trust in the process. This ensures that the heating plan both reflects local conditions and is widely supported.

Overall, a participatory approach enables holistic planning that makes the transformation of the local heating supply efficient and future-proof.