German towns pilot renewable heating and renovation projects

The city of Hanau held a free public information session on June 16, where resident Klaus Pulter presented the comprehensive renovation of his house, featuring a photovoltaic system with storage, a heat pump and insulation measures. The event, organized by the Hanau Volkshochschule and the municipal climate‑protection office, aimed to inform owners and landlords about energy‑saving retrofits.

In the municipality of Langenhorn, the subsidiary HanseWerk Natur completed its first heating season using a large‑scale heat‑pump system – called a “heat box” – that supplies households, a kindergarten, a school and a sports hall with fossil‑free warmth. The project replaces a former natural‑gas network, cuts annual CO₂ emissions by about 340 tonnes and reduces heating costs for customers, with a typical household saving around €440 per year. The pilot, funded by federal efficiency programmes, is intended to be rolled out to other small‑scale district heating networks in northern Germany.