Heidelberg

Sector: Municipal Government

Population:

>140,000 people

Carbon Footprint:

> 973,000 metric tonnes CO₂e (2002)

TARGETS

> Identifying specific trade and industry sectors for cost-effective reductions

Achievements

> 35% reduction in CO₂e emissions from municipal buildings between 1993 and 2004
> 13% reduction in CO₂e emissions from university buildings between 1999 and 2002

Benefits

> 180,000 euros worth of energy savings through energy efficiency programme for schools
> Savings for energy consumers due to improved housing

Low Carbon Solutions

Background

Heidelberg is a city of about 140,000 inhabitants in southern Germany, enjoying growing levels of economic activity and population. Recognising the need to decouple emissions from economic growth, the City of Heidelberg introduced a greenhouse gas emissions reduction programme in 1992.

There has been significant progress, including a 35% reduction in CO₂e emissions achieved by municipal properties. “We have been successful because of our participatory approach to policy,” says Sabine Lachenicht at the City of Heidelberg, “This is backed up by a clear strategy and political commitment from key individuals.”

The City of Heidelberg plans to accelerate progress through an ongoing engagement strategy which involves identifying and working with those sectors with the greatest potential to reduce emissions. For example, bakers were recently found to be making significant contributions to the city’s emissions. A project team worked collaboratively with the local bakeries association to identify key areas for energy saving. A methodology was developed to help bakers assess their relative efficiency individually. It is projected that 10-25% of energy consumption can be saved and that payback time for energy efficiency investments will be less than two years.

According to a representative from the City of Heidelberg, this exemplifies how bringing local stakeholders together can deliver real results. “The consensus driven approach enables us to identify solutions which really work for those involved. We have roundtable meetings every 2-3 months, where a range of stakeholders can propose and discuss projects. This has led to high levels of awareness and wide participation in a range of schemes, putting us in a strong position to move forward”.

To promote energy efficiency, the KLiBA, a non-profit energy consulting company, provides free advice on energy efficiency to all energy users. It also prepares ‘building passports’, which give a brief, informative overview of the heating and electricity requirements of buildings. The KLiBA was founded in 1997 by the City of Heidelberg, a number of other local municipalities, and the local savings bank. These partners provided the initial capital stock to form the company, and, with the exception of the savings bank, now fund the operational costs through an annual contribution. The start-up costs and first three years of operation were further supported by an EU grant.

In 2001 Heidelberg City council decided to purchase a quarter of the electricity for use in municipal buildings from renewable sources. This represents about 7gWh of electricity. The energy is bought from the local municipal utility at a fixed tariff. “The extra revenue collected by the utility is reinvested locally in new renewable projects,” according to a city representative. “There is now a wide range of projects up and running, including solar, biomass and even geo-thermal.”

The City of Heidelberg has also run an awareness raising and educational programme to highlight the federal promotional schemes for renewable energy installations. For example, providing advice on the installation of solar thermal water heaters on rooftops, and helping with applications for subsidised loans and grants. New solar thermal modules have helped to save 320,000 kWh of heat since the start of the programme in 1993.

For municipal buildings, mandatory energy efficiency requirements, exceeding national standards, and a systematic retrofitting programme have been introduced in Heidelberg. Schools have been a particular target.

In 2004 a total of 17 schools were retrofitted with energy saving equipment, mostly under the leadership of pupils and teachers, but with additional guidance from specialists. The list of savings is impressive. Total avoided energy consumption in heating and electricity is about 3.5 gWh/year, which translates roughly into annual savings of 180,000 euros. In many instances, the City of Heidelberg has used energy saving contracts to achieve reductions. Under these schemes, local engineering offices and the local municipal utility invest in energy saving measures at public buildings in return for long-term energy supply and management contracts.

The City of Heidelberg has also raised standards for non-municipal buildings. Developers must guarantee high levels of efficiency in order to obtain planning permits. In one new project, the Am Dorf housing development, flats have an average heating requirement of 46.7 kWh/year per square metre. This compares to the current official requirement for new housing developments of 110 kWh.

The City of Heidelberg has a commitment to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 20% against a 1997 baseline by 2005. ©Edward Parker