German municipalities on track to meet 2028 heat‑plan deadline

All German municipalities must submit a climate‑neutral heat plan by 30 June 2028, as required by the 2024 heat‑planning law. The Kompetenzzentrum Kommunale Wärmewende (KWW), led by Robert Brückmann, reports that the 80 large cities with over 100 000 residents are expected to finish their plans by mid‑2026. About 80 % of medium‑sized towns are already active or completed, and more than half of the roughly 10 700 small municipalities (under 10 000 inhabitants) have begun or finished the process.

The KWW anticipates around 7 000 heat plans nationwide, with many communities forming joint “convoys” to pool expertise, such as the Großlangheim‑Kleinlangheim‑Wiesenbronn partnership that started in October 2025 and aims to finish within a year. The plans involve inventory, potential analysis, a climate‑neutral scenario for 2045, and an implementation strategy, with regular citizen updates. The drive is accelerated by two recent energy crises and the goal that, after 2045, heat may no longer be produced from gas or oil.