WANTED: Independent heating solutions without the need of fossil fuels
There are many questions in Europe about why Germans are discussing the situation and state of heating in their country. Indeed, heating has been a very hot topic in Germany for some time now. There is an ongoing controversial debate about how to heat in the future, as it became evident after Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine that Germany had been too dependent on Russian gas for decades.
That is why the energy crisis after February 2022 hit the German energy market hard. As all over Europe prices for gas rose dramatically, German population and industry suddenly had to struggle with this situation and to pay those high prices. The German government implemented a short-term subsidy scheme though and had to find alternative ways to supply the country with gas, as deliveries stopped immediately after Russia’s aggression.
The call for alternative solutions began: gas deliveries from other countries, liquid hydrogen, heat pumps for buildings and power station projects with huge heat pumps for power production.
The Street HP Reno project funded by European LIFE programme came in time with its start in autumn 2023. The project focuses on serial installations of heat pumps in residential buildings by making it more affordable through group purchase. In Germany, it perfectly addresses the need of finding and offering independent heating solutions with heat pumps for buildings. At the same time the project addresses the energy crisis at the household level and responds to the urgent need of decarbonisation of the building stock until 2050 in line with European regulations.
How to decarbonise heating? According to the so-called German “Heating Law” that entered into force as from January 2024 Municipal Heating Plans must provide solutions for all towns and cities in Germany by summer 2028 at the latest. At the same time the Building Energy Law came into effect, stipulating that newly installed heating solutions in buildings must use at least 65% renewable sources or unavoidable waste heat.
Heat pumps, therefore, offer a good perspective. But in Germany the heat pump suffers from a poor reputation. Many myths hinder its spread and people need to be convinced by a strong lobby – a challenge, which the German partners in Street HP Reno project decided to accept.
An important step was taken in May 2024 when the first Local Authorities Club took place online with six municipalities of different sizes from all over Germany representing 319.000 citizens. The club was organised by several partner organisations, including Energiesprong DE, ansvar2030 & The Climate Task Force, District Energy, Shiftup, and the Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO). The presented project approach generated significant interest, and in the end, some of the participating municipalities applied to piloting the upcoming project ideas.
Preparations for pilot projects in three German regions are currently in full swing, with the first well-attended events, involving around 50 participants, already taking place. In collaboration with leading municipalities, the focus is on coordinating the process with all relevant stakeholders: mayors and heads of district authorities are securing political support, climate managers and climate protection agencies are communicating the project to residents, and heat planning experts are identifying target neighbourhoods for the bundled replacement of heating systems. Local craftsmen are being integrated into the installation process, while local energy providers and network operators are ensuring that all interests are considered.
After identifying neighbourhoods with potential for a collective heating system replacement, the buildings of “ambassadors” are analysed as exemplary buildings for the area. In collaboration with the municipality, a local campaign is launched to inform residents about the project through flyers, information events, and other activities. The demand from residents is then pooled, and the necessary data is collected via an online platform. This demand aggregation forms the basis for group purchasing of heat pumps at favourable conditions and the organisation of serial installation. Once an official offer is made to the residents, the project implementation can finally begin.
Through this collaborative approach, the decarbonisation of neighbourhoods and cities can be driven forward, pilot projects can be replicated and adapted to other municipalities´ needs and the reputation of heat pumps might improve in Germany. Street HP Reno project and its partners support this sustainable heating solution that hopefully can and will be facilitated for future implementation in Germany and Europe.
- Franziska Reute, IWO