Background
On July 9, 2025, the municipal heating plan for the city of Aachen was adopted (more information can be found here). This established the guidelines for a climate-neutral, secure, and economical heat supply. As part of the municipal heating plan, areas were identified where it would make sense to increase the density or expand the existing district heating network. On the other hand, there are many areas that will not be reached by district heating and where individual heating supplies will have to be implemented. In these areas, heat pumps can be used, for example, to supply individual homes or even an entire neighborhood.
If a neighborhood is suitable for a heating network but a medium-term connection to the existing district heating network has been ruled out, a local heating network may be a suitable option for supplying heat to the buildings in the neighborhood. Local heating networks can also be a future-proof solution for a renewable heat supply that is independent of oil and gas, even in challenging spatial conditions on site. Local waste heat sources from neighboring commercial sites and local environmental heat sources such as geothermal energy or air in the neighborhood can be utilized.
The local heating pilot project
In order to assess the suitability of such neighborhoods for local heating networks, the city of Aachen, in cooperation with the local company heatbeat, is offering a consulting service for citizens of Aachen. The aim of this free consulting service is to examine the technical and economic feasibility of a local heating network in order to support property owners in their decision-making process. To this end, various grid-connected supply options are being examined and compared with each other. The most promising grid-connected supply option is then compared with decentralized individual supply for each building (cost framework). More extensive approval and implementation planning for the local heating network under investigation is not part of the free consultation service. In addition, advice is also provided on fundamental organizational issues such as possible operator models.
If you are interested in the local heating pilot project and would like to take advantage of the free consultation service, please click here for the contact form. Alternatively, you can also contact us at waermeplanung@mail.aachen.de.
