Municipal heat planning: Jena is one of the first Thuringian municipalities to present a draft

The city of Jena is one of the first municipalities in Thuringia to present a draft for municipal heat planning. In February, all interested parties will have the opportunity to view the draft, obtain information and participate. The aim is to develop a fossil-free and climate-neutral heat supply for the future of the city. Following public participation, the plan will be finalized and submitted to the city council for approval.

Insight into the planning: public presentation and event

From February 10 to 23, 2025, the draft of the municipal heating plan will be published on the city of Jena's online participation platform(link is external). Citizens can view the plans there and submit their own comments.

Public event

A public information event will also take place on 18.02.2025 in the Volksbad. The draft will be presented from 18:00, followed by an open question and discussion session. In addition, all interested parties can obtain in-depth information on topics such as district heating and decentralized heat supply at information stands. In addition to representatives from the city administration, Jena's municipal utilities and the Hamburg Institute, the ThEGA state energy agency and the district craftsmen's association will also be on hand to provide information.

The event is aimed in particular at building owners, as the plans significantly affect their properties. This is because the Federal Building Energy Act (GEG) stipulates, among other things, that in future only heating systems that use at least 65% renewable energy to generate heat may be installed in existing buildings.

Dividing the city into heat supply areas

One focus of the heat planning is the division of the city into more than 62 heat supply areas. For this purpose, various criteria were evaluated in order to be able to estimate future supply costs and implementation risks for specific districts and to ensure the best possible heat supply throughout the city. Among other things, the building density, the district heating connection and the energy requirements of local commercial units were considered. The planned suitability areas include

• Heating networks: In the densely built-up urban areas with apartment buildings, connection to the district heating network or the construction of a local heating network is planned.
• Decentralized supply: In less densely built-up areas, the focus is on a decentralized heat supply as an individual house solution, for example using a heat pump.
• Test areas: For some areas, it has not yet been possible to make a final decision on the best supply solution.

A strategic plan for a fossil-free and climate-neutral heat supply

Municipal heating planning is dedicated to the question of how buildings in Jena can be heated in the future if fossil fuels such as oil or gas are no longer used. The aim is to analyze current and future heating requirements and ensure a climate-neutral supply.

The results of heat planning are not legally binding, but provide an important information basis for informing stakeholders in the heat transition and the population about the envisaged future of heat supply at an early stage. However, there is no entitlement or obligation to a specific supply.

"Municipal heat planning is an important instrument for achieving long-term climate targets and at the same time creating planning security for citizens, companies and the city," emphasizes Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Urban Development and Environment of the City of Jena. "After 12 months of intensive discussions and work, we are delighted to be able to present a draft plan to the public."

Stadtwerke Jena welcomes the City of Jena's commitment to making efforts to develop a municipal heating plan at an early stage, said Christian Dornack, Head of Strategy at Stadtwerke Jena Netze. The company believes that the expansion and densification of the municipal district heating network is particularly important for achieving the city of Jena's climate targets.

"We have already developed concepts for this and, in addition to the heating planning process, we are working on a concrete transformation plan for the implementation of the expansion targets over time. We will have more precise results by the fall," explains Christian Dornack.

At the same time, heat planning promotes an integrated approach across all energy sources. For the municipal utilities, this will lead to more binding investment decisions, including for the electricity and gas sectors, and to greater clarity for customers as to what their climate-neutral heat supply could look like in the future.

"Through intensive discussions with the municipal utilities and the city administration, we have succeeded in developing a forward-looking heating plan for Jena. In addition to a clear vision, concrete measures were developed that will enable us to actively tackle the ambitious goal of a climate-neutral heat supply by 2035," adds project manager Nico Jaeschke from HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH.

Timetable and next steps

The city of Jena has been working on the planning together with HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH since January 2024. The next steps:

• 10 to 23.02.2025: Public display of the draft on the City of Jena's online participation platform(link is external).
• 18.02.2025: Public information event at the Volksbad.
• End of February/beginning of March 2025: Review of the comments received and finalization of the plan.
• Subsequently: political decision by the city council

Work will also continue on the actual implementation. Plans include comprehensive advisory services for the population, targeted networking of stakeholders and cooperation with specialist tradespeople. The existing advisory services on topics such as building refurbishment, heating replacement and the installation of photovoltaic systems are summarized on the city of Jena's energy advice website.

Experienced planning office supports the city

HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH is supporting the project with its expertise in climate-neutral energy supply and the heating transition. With this clear strategic planning and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, Jena is working consistently to realize a sustainable and future-proof heat supply. The primary goal is to increase planning and investment security for citizens and companies in the city.

Background: Legal requirements and funding

When the Federal Heat Planning Act comes into force on 01.01.2024, all municipalities in Thuringia will have to submit a municipal heat plan. As a large city with more than 100,000 inhabitants, Jena must have drawn this up by 30.06.2026. The preparation of Jena's municipal heating plan is funded by the National Climate Initiative. With the National Climate Protection Initiative, the German government has been initiating and funding numerous projects that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions since 2008.

Full text alternative to the image

A map of the city shows the expected heat supply by means of markings in different colors. The following colors stand for

• purple: decentralized supply
• brown: test area
• green: existing network (without statutes)
• red: heating network - expansion
• pink: heating network - new construction
• yellow: heating network - densification

The largest part of the map is marked in purple, which concerns the west and east of the city. In the city center there are several areas marked in yellow, followed by red and pink. The fewest areas are colored green.