The energy transition is not possible without a heating transition. The average age of heating systems in residential buildings in Baden-Württemberg is almost 20 years. When boilers are replaced, the sanitary, heating and air-conditioning craft plays a central role. The main objective of the project c.HANGE (craftsmen as creators of the transition in heating) was to investigate the role of the sanitary, heating and air-conditioning craft and the interaction with private end customers. The main focus was the purchase advice that is usually given when there is occasion for a boiler repair or a breakdown and thus the replacement of the boiler. Together with practitioners from heating and trades associations, federations and organisations in Heidelberg-Ziegelhausen and Schriesheim and the local municipal administrations, the "real-world laboratory" investigated how the advisory situation can be improved to the extent that an increase in energy efficiency and the proportion of renewable heat is realised.
With the help of the boiler check that was developed in the project, renewable energies are centrally placed in the consultation meeting and purchase decisions are transferred from a spontaneous decision process to a systematic decision. Together with innovative companies, new services in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energies were developed. The knowledge gained in the project was incorporated into the generation of political and legal instruments and measures.