3 sessions, 200 participants, one clear takeaway: the decentralised heat transition doesn’t need miracles. It needs good examples that others can follow.
With the Baden-Württemberg session on 22 September 2026, our three-part online series “Implementing the Decentralised Heat Transition – Practical Tips and Tools for Municipalities” has come to a successful close. The results:
👥 200 participants from local government, advisory services and civil society
⭐ Average rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars (n=65)
Many municipalities came with the same question: the heat plan is complete or in progress, but what happens in neighbourhoods that won’t be connected to a heat network?
What we’re taking away from the series:
- The barriers are rarely technical. In our polls, participants mainly cited a lack of leverage over privately owned buildings, too little time and staff, and unclear responsibilities for implementation.
- Approaches that ease the burden on local authorities are in demand. Heat pump group purchasing schemes were the practical example most frequently rated as relevant. The municipality provides neutral information, while the selection of installers and coordination with local tradespeople are organised externally.
- Local engagement is an underrated lever. Two volunteers run the heat pump forum in VG Wörrstadt. Wangen im Allgäu teamed up with local tradespeople to bring around 600 people to an information event. And energy cooperatives such as kliQ Berlin eG are becoming implementers in their own right.
A heartfelt thank you!
To our co-hosts:
- Martin Bach and Tobias Blum (Energie- und Klimaschutzagentur RLP)
- Eike Bronn (Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Niedersachsen)
- Julia Hochschild (KEA Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Baden-Württemberg)
To Dr Peter Moser and Michael Neuhaus from the Kompetenzzentrum Kommunale Wärmewende (KWW) at dena for presenting the KWW tools.
Special thanks go to our practical examples:
- Volunteers as a heat pump information team – Roland Kessler (Wärmepumpen-Forum VG Wörrstadt)
- Heat pump group purchasing schemes – Florian Bonert (ShiftUp)
- Energy cooperatives as implementers – Christian Küttner (kliQ Berlin eG)
- Campaign with local tradespeople – Patrick Zembrod (Town of Wangen im Allgäu)
- Renovation management and thermal imaging walks – Dr Beate Arman (Town of Kirchheim unter Teck)
And of course to Fried Grosse-Dunker (Dark Horse GmbH) for his skilful moderation.
The series was part of the EU project LIFE Street HP Reno and was organised by ShiftUp.