Climate action for local authorities and districts: Municipal heating plans and climate action strategies
Climate action is an obligation, and implementing it presents challenges. Districts and local authorities play a central role in this. Within their sphere of influence, they can promote renewable energy, energy savings and decisions aimed at climate action.
A solid foundation for planning processes is always an assessment and evaluation of the current situation. Potential for energy savings and the transition to renewable energy is identified. Pathways towards reducing emissions, right through to greenhouse gas neutrality, are identified. The study results provide clarity and comprehensiveness. Above all, however, they serve to comprehensively address the challenge of climate protection through practical, coordinated action plans.
bifa ensures the continuous and consistent involvement of local stakeholders in these studies. Emerging technologies and innovations are taken into account. Interdisciplinary project teams comprising engineers, natural and economic scientists, as well as professional facilitators, work on the projects and ensure the quality of the results.
Municipal heating planning aims to achieve energy savings and decarbonisation in the heating sector. Around 80% of the heating supply is currently still provided by natural gas and oil. The resulting heating plan provides transparency regarding heating demand at the level of individual blocks of flats and highlights potential for renovation. It sets out where and how renewable heat sources or waste heat can be utilised, how heating networks should be established or expanded, and what measures a local authority should take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the heating sector to zero along a transition pathway. Municipal heating planning is mandatory for local authorities under the Heating Planning Act. The costs are reimbursed (see, for example, for Bavaria https://www.stmwi.bayern.de/energie/energiewende/kommunale-waermeplanung-in-bayern),
Climate protection strategies focus more strongly on climate protection management. Going beyond an inventory and potential analysis, they encompass climate protection targets, target scenarios, a facilitated development process, as well as ongoing implementation and monitoring. The mobility sector, as well as non-energy-related areas of action, can be included. Climate protection strategies are funded by the federal government through the Local Authority Guidelines (www.klimaschutz.de/de/foerderung/foerderprogramme/kommunalrichtlinie) or, for example, under the Bavarian KommKlimaFör programme (www.stmuv.bayern.de/themen/klimaschutz/kommunal).
In connection with or following on from the aforementioned project formats, bifa offers detailed and focused studies as well as support with implementation.
We support you with your local heating planning, your climate protection strategy or your energy utilisation plan by providing:
- Comprehensive data collection and analysis
- Involvement of local knowledge holders and stakeholders (participatory process)
- Energy and greenhouse gas accounting in accordance with BISKO or GPC
- Georeferenced analyses and presentations of potential
- Potential for energy savings and improved energy efficiency in the areas of heating and electricity, as well as potential for renewable energy
- Objectives, target scenarios and development pathways
- Detailed measures and action plans
- Establishment of a climate protection management system
References