According to a survey by the German Association of Cities, municipal heat planning is still in its infancy in many places. Almost half (47 percent) of the 119 cities surveyed are currently in the coordination phase, in which the first steps are being explored. Another 18 percent of the cities are working on the inventory analysis, shows the survey from May, which is available to the German Press Agency. Another 17 percent are in the process of drawing up the heat plan or developing the concept, and four percent are in the process of being implemented. Four percent of those surveyed have not even started yet.
The majority of cities have “long since started on the way with municipal heating planning,” said Helmut Dedy, chief executive of the city association. “The cities analyze how high the heat demand is in the districts, where a strategic expansion of district heating and where a decentralized supply, for example using heat pumps, makes sense.”
A survey by the dpa had previously shown that the majority of municipalities are just starting out when it comes to heat planning. Big cities like Munich, Hamburg and Cologne are ahead of the game. In some federal states, heat planning only starts when the federal government initiates it.
Heat planning should be available in large cities from 2026
With the Heat Planning Act, states and municipalities are to present concrete plans on how they want to convert their heating infrastructure to be climate-neutral. The heat planning should show what options there are for district heating, for example. This should bring more options for switching to more climate-friendly heating systems. Citizens can then see whether their house could soon be connected to a heating network or whether they should rely on a heat pump. The Building Energy Act, known as the “Heating Act”, is to be linked to municipal heat planning. In this way, owners should have all the information about the possible heating variants. The heat planning should be available in large cities from 2026 and for the remaining municipalities from 2028.
Dedy spoke of an ambitious schedule. “Drawing up a heating plan is a complex process and usually takes two to three years. That doesn’t come for free.” The process must be coordinated with many local actors.
Additional staffing requirements expected
According to the survey, more than two thirds of the cities surveyed estimate the costs of drawing up the heating plan at up to 200,000 euros. The majority expect additional staffing needs of up to five positions, with larger cities tending to have more. Over a third have their own personnel capacity for heat planning. 36 percent of the cities stated that they had consulted external planning offices, and 45 percent plan to do so.
Dedy called for more financial aid for the cities. The start-up funding from the federal government with increased funding rates of 90 to 100 percent for municipal heating planning should be continued beyond the end of the year. “It is also important that pioneering municipalities that have already drawn up heating plans voluntarily or on the basis of state regulations are not disadvantaged.” Finished heat plans would have to be recognized.
