Municipal heat planning in the VG Konz
The Heat Planning Act has been in force in the Federal Republic of Germany since January 2024. It creates the legal basis for the mandatory and systematic introduction of comprehensive heat planning throughout Germany.
The aim is to Opportunities for a long-term secure, affordable and environmentally friendly heat supply to determine.
The municipal heat planning process is divided into several steps:
- Inventory analysis: What energy sources are used in the Konz district? What is the current heat consumption and the foreseeable demand?
- Potential analysis: What are possible climate-friendly heat sources in the municipality? Where is a heat network suitable? Where can energy be saved?
- Development of a target scenario: Which energy sources and supply systems can be used to achieve climate-neutral heat supply? Consideration of the parameters: economic viability, technical feasibility
- Implementation strategy: Which measures will be taken, when and by whom?
During the planning process for municipal heat planning, VG Werke Konz AöR and the administration of the municipality informed the political committees and citizens about the current status of the analyses, including at a public information event on Thursday, September 18, 2025, in the gymnasium of the Berendsborn elementary school in Konz.
At the end of the planning process, residents will have greater clarity about their future heat supply options. Homeowners can better plan which energy supply investments make the most sense for them at which time. Municipal heat planning provides them with information, for example, about whether a local or district heating network would potentially be feasible on their street.
In areas where a district heating network is unlikely, residents can assume that a decentralized solution (individual stand-alone solution, e.g., a heat pump) will be necessary. Implementation will then be the responsibility of the building owners.
Important: The municipal heat planning is not binding and does not constitute a legally enforceable right for individual citizens to the implementation of the projects presented. This means that the areas mentioned therein that are suitable for heating networks, for example, are potential areas - but that does not necessarily mean that they will actually be realized there.
Likewise, municipal heat planning cannot replace individual energy advice. Even if you're not yet planning to change your heating system, heating costs and CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced by insulating and replacing your windows. The Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Advice Center offers advice on individual options. General information can be found here: www.energieberatung-rlp.de and www.verbraucherzentrale-rlp.de/wp-angebote .
How does the VG currently heat and where is there potential?
At the last meeting before the summer break in 2025, the AöR gave the municipal council an interim report. The focus was on the results of the so-called Inventory and potential analysis : Where is heating done and how? How many buildings have been renovated to improve energy efficiency? And where could more climate-friendly heating methods potentially be used?
The current status
The twelve municipalities of the Konz collective municipality are home to 34,700 people. Annual heat demand is approximately 450 GWh, of which approximately 78% is used by private households. While this energy volume is high, it is typical for a medium-sized collective municipality—and demonstrates the importance of a well-coordinated heat transition for the region.
Currently, heat supply is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels: Heating oil is by far the most widely used energy source in the Konz district at 42%, followed by natural gas (16%). The share of renewable energies in heat supply is currently very low at only around 7%.
The energy efficiency of many buildings can also be significantly improved: 90% of buildings have been only partially renovated or not renovated at all. Energy-efficient renovations therefore offer significant savings potential of up to 73% of heating requirements.
Where does the potential lie?
The second step examined where and how renewable energies could be used more extensively in the future. The analysis clearly shows that the Konz municipality has numerous natural resources to transform its heat supply in a climate-friendly way.
Rivers such as the Saar and Moselle, as well as the wastewater treatment plant effluent, offer great potential. This potential can be used to implement heating networks based on these energy sources in individual neighborhoods. In addition, roof areas for photovoltaics and solar thermal systems have been identified, which are particularly suitable for individual solutions outside of potential areas for heating networks.
Where could heating networks be created and how can I heat in a more climate-friendly way?
As the municipal heat planning process continued, the Konz AöR municipal utility examined which sub-regions and towns were particularly well-suited for potential heat networks. Target scenarios for 2035 and 2045 were also developed for these focus areas. Economic viability also plays a key role: A climate-friendly heat supply must not only be ecologically sound but also affordable for citizens in the long term. The goal is to reconcile security of supply, climate protection, and cost stability.
Potential for heating networks currently exists only in a few areas of the city of Konz. These include the industrial area in Könen and parts of Berensborn. The Verbandsgemeindewerke Konz AöR (Konz Municipal Utilities Association) is currently planning a network there that will be powered, among other things, by heat from the Saar River. Whether the plan can be implemented economically depends on funding and is expected to be decided at the beginning of next year. If funding is approved, the AöR will proactively approach potential heat consumers; pre-registration is not possible. There are also streets in Karthaus, the inner-city north area, Canet, and Roscheid where a heating network could be feasible and cost-effective.
According to the current analysis, no such options exist in the remaining urban areas and in the local communities. Here, decentralized solutions must play a key role when changing heating systems. This includes, for example, heat pumps or heat pump hybrid systems, pellet heating systems, or solar thermal systems.
For further information, please see the following presentation, which was presented to interested citizens at a public information event in September 2025: