The municipal heat transition in practice

Real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector can only be achieved through well-informed decisions made at the local level. This is precisely where the KOMM-WÄRME project comes in with its ideal-type solution model.
Publikation KOMMWÄRME

The heat transition is a central component of the energy transition and must be successfully implemented. Unlike in the electricity sector, however, it is not enough here to simply replace the energy sources while retaining the existing infrastructure and end-use appliances. The reason for this is that the entire heat supply sector is predominantly based on the fossil fuels oil and gas.

New publication as a key milestone in the project

In the KOMM-WÄRME project, ITAS and its project partners explore how individual “building blocks” at the intersection of technology and society can facilitate the municipal heat transition.

The results were published in the report “Heat transition through ‘right’ decisions: Ein entscheidungstheoretischer und politikinstrumenteller Ansatz am Beispiel der kommunalen Wärmewende.” In this report, ITAS researchers Dirk Scheer, Laura Müller, and Patrick Stuhm develop a decision-making model for the municipal heat transition and use it to evaluate various policy measures. The goal is to support municipalities in planning and implementing a climate-friendly heat supply.

Findings of the report

The model shows that a successful heat transition can only be achieved if the relevant actors are at the center of the process, decisions are simplified, and policy instruments provide targeted guidance.

“The heat transition can only succeed if actors with decision-making power over buildings and real estate make the right decisions regarding energy-efficient modernization and heating technology. These ‘right’ decisions must be supported as effectively as possible by policymakers. This decision-making dimension has so far been a criminally neglected aspect of the energy transition and the heat transition in particular,” says Dirk Scheer, co-author of the report.

In this project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE; formerly the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action – BMWK), ITAS collaborates with the Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH (FfE) and the Federation of German Scientists (VDW). (03 September 2026)

Further information: