To speed up the heat transition in cities, energy experts from the "Urban Heat Transition" project of the Institute for Ecological Economy Research GmbH (IÖR) recommend a mix of measures: Cities should develop spatial heat planning and tap all sustainable heat potentials, such as wastewater heat. In addition, they should expand district heating, form neighborhood heating networks - especially around public buildings - and support fair energy refurbishments in milieu protection areas.
The energy experts took a closer look at Berlin in their research project. According to the energy experts, the capital still depends on natural gas for two-thirds of its heating, heating oil for 17 percent and coal for five percent. "Berlin faces challenges in the heat transition that other cities are also familiar with: Rising rents are fueling fears of expensive renovation projects, the change is not yet reaching neighborhoods despite funding pots, and technologies such as the use of wastewater heat are only slowly being implemented," explains project manager Dr. Elisa Dunkelberg of the IÖW.
But according to the energy experts, energy-efficient renovations that go beyond the statutory minimum standards are also worthwhile for tenants. According to calculations by the energy experts, the warm rent would even remain stable or could even fall if the landlords use the corresponding subsidies and allocate the modernization costs fairly. Particularly in areas protected by the Milieu, municipalities should therefore make ambitious refurbishments possible to a greater extent than has been the case to date. Among other things, the energy experts have produced a guide for municipalities and neighborhood managers. Interested parties can download it at urbane-waermewende.de/publikationen-1.
Source and further information: ioew.de
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