Municipal heat planning in Jena: Decision planned for June city council meeting

The city of Jena is one of the first municipalities to submit a draft municipal heating plan to the city council for approval at its meeting in June 2025. The aim is to enable a climate-neutral and fossil-free heat supply for the entire city area. At the same time, the planning is intended to create a reliable basis for greater planning and investment security for citizens and companies.

Jena City Council, Stadtwerke Jena Netze GmbH and Hamburg Institut Consulting (HIC) have been working intensively on the heat planning since January 2024. The data- and participation-intensive development process, which lasted around one and a half years, is now nearing its conclusion. The heat planning is dedicated to the central question of how buildings in Jena can be heated in a climate-friendly, safe and affordable way in future without fossil fuels such as oil or gas. To this end, the current and future heating requirements were comprehensively analyzed.

City divided into 57 heat supply areas

One focus of the planning is the division of the city area into 57 heat supply areas. For each of these sub-areas, relevant criteria such as future supply costs, implementation risks and security of supply were evaluated in order to determine the best possible heat supply for each district. The detailed results are summarized in individual profiles.
The planned area allocations include:

• Heating networks: In densely built-up neighborhoods with apartment buildings, the plan is to connect to existing district heating networks or build new local heating networks.

• Decentralized supply: In less densely populated areas, the use of individual house solutions, for example using heat pumps, is favored.

• Test areas: For some areas, it has not yet been possible to make a final decision on the best supply solution; further investigations are required here.

Public participation and strategic objectives

Three accompanying public events took place during the entire development process and enabled an intensive exchange with citizens.

The first draft of the heat planning was open to the public from February 10 to March 9, 2025. Citizens were able to submit valuable comments and suggestions during this period. The feedback received was carefully reviewed and incorporated into the final version. This will now be submitted to the city council for approval. As a result of the comments and opinions from the public, for example, the methodology for comparing the economic efficiency of the individual supply types is now explained in a new chapter. A final conclusion has also been added to each of the 57 profiles of the heat supply areas.

Heat planning is to be understood as a strategic planning instrument - it creates transparency, orientation and an early information basis for all stakeholders in the heat transition. Although it does not constitute a legal entitlement to a specific supply, it is nevertheless an important basis for deciding which type of heat supply is the most suitable.

Digital map: Which heating concept suits my home?

In order to provide citizens and companies with quick and easy access to the results of the heat planning, Stadtwerke Jena has transferred the planning results into a digital, interactive map. Using this platform, interested parties can use color coding and a street-specific search function to find out which climate-friendly form of heating is most suitable in their district - whether a connection to an existing or planned district heating network, a decentralized solution such as a heat pump seems sensible or whether it is a test area where further investigations are still necessary. The digital map is continuously updated to show the current status of planning and provide homeowners with valuable information for upcoming investments.
Further information on the digital map can be found at: www.stadtwerke-jena.de/kwp-jena

Interaktive Karte zur Information der Bürgerinnen und Bürger: Welche Heizform besteht in meinem Stadtgebiet?

© Stadtwerke Jena

Start of implementation - 26 measures defined

The targeted resolution on June 25, 2025 marks the start of the actual implementation process towards a sustainable heat supply. A total of 26 measures are planned for the heating transition - from in-depth technical studies in defined sub-areas to extensive advisory services for owners and the specific expansion or new construction of heating networks.

On the draft resolution in the city council

The City Council will be presented with a comprehensive draft resolution on municipal heating planning. The following points are central to this:

• Confirmation and anchoring: Municipal heat planning will be bindingly taken into account as a specialist strategy for all planning and infrastructural measures of the city in future.

• Evaluation process: New developments are to be incorporated into the update of the planning no later than three years after the decision - by 2028 at the latest. This will also include a review of whether the goal of a climate-neutral heat supply by 2035 is realistic.

• Legal obligation: There are no legal obligations to use a specific heat supply - the planning serves as a strategic guideline.

This decision paves the way for the implementation of the heating transition and Jena is sending a clear signal for a future-oriented, sustainable energy policy. Current information on municipal heat planning can be found at
https://jena.de/waermeplanung