Municipal Heating Planning

Municipal heat planning is a technology-neutral, long-term, and strategic process aimed at achieving a largely climate-neutral heat supply for the city. As a planning tool, it coordinates the meeting of future heat demand throughout the municipal area using locally available and sustainable heat sources.

The Municipal Heat Planning initiative outlines a path for the city of Jena toward a heat supply free of fossil fuels. To this end, the city was divided into 57 so-called heat supply zones. 

For each of these zones, an assessment was conducted to determine which heating method would be most suitable in the future—whether it be connection to an existing or planned district heating network, a decentralized solution such as a heat pump, or cases where the assessment results are still pending and require further investigation. An interactive digital map presents the results clearly and with address-specific accuracy. The map is availableon the City of Jena’s map portal as well as on the Stadtwerke Jena website .

The heating plan provides planning and investment certainty for residents, businesses, and the city itself. Property owners can thus better plan which investments in climate-friendly energy supply are most economically viable for them and at what point in time.

Technical Development

Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH was commissioned to carry out the technical development of the municipal heat plan. This took place in 2024–2025 in close cooperation with a core team consisting of a planning office, the city administration, and Stadtwerke Jena Netze GmbH. 

Through regular stakeholder meetings, representatives from the housing sector, businesses, relevant associations, and interest groups were involved in the development of the heating plan.

Presentation of the Draft

In February 2025, the results of the Municipal Heat Plan were presented in a draft and introduced at a public event. Representatives from the planning firm, Stadtwerke Jena Netze GmbH, and the city administration presented the draft and answered questions from citizens during an open Q&A session. The informational event was recorded by Jena-TV and can be viewed via the link on the right. 

Informal Public Participation Process

Through an informal public engagement initiative, all citizens were able to provide their input on the plan. The extensive feedback helped to further improve the plan.

The process for developing the municipal heat plan was broadly divided into the following work packages:

1. Baseline Analysis: For the city of Jena, the current heat demand, the building stock, and the energy infrastructure relevant to heat supply were analyzed, and assumptions were made regarding the future development of heat demand.
2. Potential analysis: The potential for long-term renewable energy sources and for unavoidable waste heat was estimated.
3. Target Scenarios and Development Pathways: Based on future heat demand and long-term potential, the city area was divided into 57 sub-areas—so-called projected heat supply areas. For each of these, the specific results of the municipal heat planning are presented in a fact sheet.
4. Strategy and Catalog of Measures: The catalog of measures presents a total of 26 measures in the form of fact sheets that are necessary to achieve a climate-neutral heat supply. Implementation will be carried out by the city itself or through agreements with third parties.

Implementation Strategy and Monitoring Concept

The heating plan must be reviewed regularly—at least every five years—based on current information and findings, and progress in implementing the identified strategies and measures must be monitored. In Jena, the evaluation takes place at least every three years and will therefore occur for the first time in 2028.

At its meeting on June 25, 2025, the City Council approved the Municipal Heating Plan for the entire city. You can find the draft resolution and all related documents under “Links.” The actual implementation of the Municipal Heating Plan is now underway. You can find the draft resolution and all related documents on the right-hand side under “Links.” The Municipal Heating Plan is now being implemented.

You can find the report on municipal heat planning and the overview of the projected heat supply areas under "Downloads."

Heat planning is a strategic planning process, and the results of heat planning are not legally binding. The municipal heating plan therefore serves as an important source of information for third parties, enabling stakeholders in the heating transition and the general public to be informed at an early stage about the envisioned future of the heating supply. However, this does not establish any entitlement to or obligation regarding a specific supply.

The basis for this is the Act on Heat Planning and the Decarbonization of Heating Networks— the Heat Planning Act, for short—which took effect on January 1, 2024.

The Heat Planning Act requires municipalities to develop a municipal heat plan. The goal is to demonstrate how heat supply can be made climate-friendly and greenhouse gas-neutral in the long term. The heat plan examines the various subregions within a municipality and identifies which heat supply options are particularly suitable there in the long term.

Municipal heat planning is closely linked to the legal regulations governing the heat supply for buildings. With the entry into force ofthe Building Modernization Act (GModG), the previous Building Energy Act (GEG) was replaced. The new legal framework establishes a revised set of guidelines for the selection and installation of heating systems. Against this backdrop, municipal heat planning provides important guidance for long-term heat supply decisions.

The development of the Jena Municipal Heat Plan was fundedunder theMunicipal Guidelines—a funding program for municipalities within the National Climate Protection Initiative—and by the Free State of Thuringia.

Since fall 2025, the nonprofit Jena Climate Protection Agency has been advising all citizens on energy-efficient and climate-friendly living. Specifically, the services include initial consultations on energy-efficient renovations, advice on thermal insulation, heating system replacements, heat pumps, and other renewable technologies, as well as information on legal requirements and subsidy programs. Further information and contact details can be found on theJena Climate Protection Agency’s website.

In 2026, ThEGA , in collaboration with the Thuringia Consumer Advice Center, will offer the “Feierabendtalks” (After-Work Talks), a series of online events focused on saving on electricity and heating costs.

You want to do your part for climate protection and save money by generating your own energy or reducing your energy consumption. It helps to know where savings are particularly effective. In our online “Feierabendtalks,” we show Thuringian renters and homeowners how they can use energy wisely at home. Source: ThEGA website

The Jena Adult Education Center, in cooperation with the Halle Adult Education Center, offers the online event series #DigitalDienstag. This free program provides information on topics such as installing heat pumps or insulating single-family homes. Registration for the #DigitalDienstag courses is easy—just send an email. You can find the program and contact information on the Jena Adult Education Center website.

Additional advisory services on building retrofits, heating system replacements, or the installation of photovoltaic systems can be found on the City of Jena’s energy advisory page.

On the "Questions and Answers on Municipal Heat Planning" page, we answer frequently asked questions about municipal heat planning in Jena. These questions cover general topics related to heat planning in Jena, the Building Modernization Act (GModG), Jena's district heating system, and decentralized heat supply.