Good heating practices from Denmark and Germany

Currently Poland faces a choice of long-term action plan in heating. As part of the Clean Heat project Forum Energii took a deep insight into experiences of Denmark and Germany, which significantly modernized their heat supply systems and improved air quality at the same time.

According to the president of Forum Energii, Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera Polish heating sector is an exceptionally difficult puzzle - it is heterogeneous, it has diversified ownership and production structures and a different level of technical advancement. It is worth looking at how these puzzles were approached in countries whose systems had many analogies to ours. With our latest report we would like to present good practices from these two countries, located in a similar climate zone, whose heat supply systems were heavily dependent on coal.

What is particularly evident in the process of change in Denmark and Germany is the consistent implementation of the adopted national energy and heating policy. In this way, our neighbours avoid losing time, slowing down investment and inefficient spending of money - adds Andrzej Rubczyński, director of the Forum Energii heat engineering strategy.

Both analysed countries have different experiences, resources and technologies. They differ also in the approach to the transformation of heating. It is impossible to simply copy their solutions, but it is worth treating them as an inspiration.

After the analysis of the transformation of heating in Denmark and Germany, we have drawn numerous conclusion in terms of planning, resources, financing, and technologies. Below you can find most important of them.

• A comprehensive heating strategy is needed as a guide for local heat supply plans, technical solutions and financing methods.

• Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is the basis of effective heating modernization - a dedicated strategy for buildings is needed.
• Increased use of RES and waste energy in heat will improve the country's energy balance, together with air quality.
• Effective financing mechanism for modernization should be implemented, which takes into account the analysis of costs and social benefits.
• Circulation of funds in a closed system should be implemented. Environmental fees and income from the CO2 emissions allowances are directed to actions removing the cause of deterioration of the environment and climate.
• We should consider the transformation of the heating area in the category of economic opportunity, not only the cost.

This report may become an inspiration in this very important discussion about solving the problem of smog and modernizing Polish heating system. We hope that it will allow Polish decision-makers to believe that changes are not only necessary but feasible. - sums up Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera.

The report “Good heating practises from Denmark and Germany” has been developed on the basis of the “Modern technologies and good practices related to the heat sector: International case studies” report by Jakob Nymann Rud et al., 2018, COWI, made on the order of Forum Energii. Both analyses were conducted as part of the Forum Energii project “Clean Heat International Cooperation Forum” supported by the European Climate Initiative EUKI.

The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) is a project financing instrument by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Its implementation is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is the overarching goal of the EUKI to foster climate cooperation within the European Union (EU) in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

The opinions put forward in this report are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect neither the views of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety nor other partners.