What we did
The KeepWarm project “Improving the performance of district heating systems in Central and Eastern Europe” targets the largest energy user in the EU: energy demand for heating and cooling (49%). It promotes district heating systems (DHS) for heat generation as the most effective solution in densely populated areas. However, especially true for Central/Eastern European countries, many DHSs are highly energy inefficient and need to be modernised. Furthermore, that the predominant energy sources used are still fossil fuels (oil, gas or coal) makes interventions ever more urgent. KeepWarm uniquely combines concrete work with pilot DHSs in seven countries [Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine] to increase their systems’ efficiency, reduce GHG emissions and switch to renewable energy sources. Through the project’s Twinning programme coordinated by ICLEI Europe, the pilot DHSs gain further insights from an international perspective through multi-step exchanges with DHS counterparts working under similar/complementary circumstances in other target countries. The lessons learned from this programme offer on-the-ground experiences very replicable to other DHSs across the wider region. To achieve a longer-lasting impact, ICLEI Europe and other partners are facilitating a close alignment between DHSs and public authorities, especially most relevant at the local and regional levels, but even seeking to influence national and EU-level policy processes. It also seeks to build closer interaction with potential investors to increase the likelihood that DH business plans and measures developed within KeepWarm receive the necessary funding. The overall aim of this approach is to bring together all these private and public stakeholders to ensure framework conditions conducive to jointly implementing a common energy transition.
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