Press release from the Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) and Aktionskreis Energie e.V. (AkE)

• The Berlin Heat Plan shows that climate-friendly neighborhood heating networks could play an important role for around one-fifth of the total heated floor area within Berlin’s building stock.
• Several community-led district heating initiatives are already active and seeking to get more people involved in the developing collaborative solutions.
• These initiatives need support to achieve their goals, as a workshop conducted by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) with initiatives in the Aktionskreis Energie e.V. (AkE)-Network hast shown.

Berlin, July 28, 2026 – According to Berlin’s Heat Plan, around one-fifth of the city’s heated floor area is suitable for neighborhood heating networks. In these areas, smaller local heating grids using waste heat, geothermal energy, or other local energy sources could eventually replace gas- and oil-based heating systems. Potential operators include local citizen initiatives. The Berlin-based Aktionskreis Energie e.V. (AkE) aims to connect and provide a plattform for such initiatives. During one of AkE’s networking meetings in June, a workshop with intiatives sought to identify challenges they faced and ways in which they might be supported. The workshop was held as part of the “Heat Transition in Northern Schöneberg” (WärmSchöN) project and took place at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW). One key finding was that initiatives need financial support and expert advice at an early stage. This enables them, for instance, to commission feasibility studies and technical assessments and thus to evaluate potential solutions on a sound basis.

Berlin Needs Neighborhood Heating Networks – But Who Will Operate Them?

Many people in Berlin are wondering how they will be able to heat their homes in the future. The results map of the Berlin Heat Plan indicates which heat supply solutions are prioritized for different building blocks. In so-called assessment areas, which account for 18 percent of Berlin’s heated floor area, neighborhood heating networks could supply heat to multiple buildings or even entire neighborhoods. Possible heat sources include wastewater heat, geothermal energy, and solar thermal energy. Neighborhood heating systems may also be attractive in areas where district heating infrastructure is not scheduled for expansion until much later. The central question for all these areas is: Who will operate these heating networks? Besides Berlin’s municipal utility companies and other heat suppliers, energy cooperatives could potentially take on this role.

“There are already some pioneering initiatives in Berlin seeking to implement socially equitable neighborhood heating systems in their communities, which is an important contribution to the heat transition,” says Dr. Julika Weiß, heat-transition expert at IÖW and co-director of the WärmSchöN project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Start-Up Funding and Advisory Support Are Needed

During the WärmSchöN project workshop, seven neighborhood heating initiatives from the districts of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf discussed factors that contributed to success as well as support needs. “The discussions highlighted the tremendous commitment of citizens who are working to recruit additional supporters in their neighborhoods and develop concrete solutions for future heat supply,” Weiß explains. A major obstacle for these initiatives is funding the technical assessments and studies needed to turn initial ideas into feasible projects. At present, such funding opportunities are lacking, partly because the federal government has once again suspended its KfW 432 Energy-Efficient Urban Redevelopment Program. Several initiatives had relied on receiving this funding and are now searching for alternative options.

In addition, many initiatives depend on guidance and support from district administrations during the initiation, planning, and implementation phases. However, district authorities often lack the staff to provide such assistance.

“The Heat Plan clearly shows that Berlin recognizes the importance of neighborhood heating initiatives, which is a positive development. The next step is ensuring that the support measures for citizen-led heating projects outlined in the Heat Plan are actually implemented in the near future,” says Weiß. One important measure has already been introduced: Berlin has established the Heat Transition Agency (Wärmewendeagentur). Citizens can turn to this new advisory service with questions, for instance on how to establish a neighborhood heating initiative.

Aktionskreis Energie Connects Initiatives: “This Is the Ideal Time to Found a Neighborhood Heating Initiative”

“Now is an ideal time to start a neighborhood heating initiative because public interest in future heating solutions is currently very high,” says Manuela Gabriel, board member of Aktionskreis Energie. Gabriel herself is also active in the Wärmewende Friedenau initiative. “We volunteer our time to promote a local heating network and actively engage with our neighbors to inspire more people to support this excellent opportunity for climate-neutral heating. The more interested participants we find, the more affordable a neighborhood heating connection becomes.”

AkE organizes citywide networking meetings for heating-network initiatives, enabling volunteers to learn from one another and exchange experiences. The next meeting will take place on September 17, 2026, at IÖW on Potsdamer Straße. Those interested can register online.

Developing Socially Equitable Solutions at the Local Level

Most existing initiatives are active in areas where many residents are home-owners. But what about neighborhoods where most residents are tenants? To address this question, the WärmSchöN research project aims to engage residents and local stakeholders in Northern Schöneberg in discussions about socially equitable heat supply solutions. Particular attention is being paid to residential blocks where district heating expansion is either not planned at all or not expected until after 2040. For these areas, community-oriented solutions such as cooperatively operated neighborhood heating systems appear especially promising. Supported by the local residents’ initiative AG Wärmewende, researchers seek to incorporate residents’ needs into the development of future heat supply options from the outset and identify ways in which tenants can participate.

About the WärmSchöN Project

The WärmSchöN project is jointly led by IÖW and the Tempelhof-Schöneberg District Office, in partnership with the Technical University of Berlin, Gewobag ED, the AG Wärmewende (a citizens‘ initiative of the Schöneberger Norden Neighborhood Council), and the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment (SenMVKU).
The project aims to develop model solutions for implementing heat-planning strategies with a focus on dense inner-city neighborhoods. These are intended to serve as blueprints for other districts in Berlin and beyond.

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Further Information

• WärmSchöN Project (Tempelhof-Schöneberg District Office)
• Aktionskreis Energie e.V.: aktionskreis-energie.de; registration for the next network meeting
• Berlin Heat Plan (Senate Department for Urban Mobility, Transport, Climate Action and the Environment)
• Picture: Map excerpt showing the projected heat supply areas for 2045, Berlin Geoportal, Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing, and Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, 2026.