Bad Endorf starts municipal heating planning ahead of schedule

21.01.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The Upper Bavarian spa town of Bad Endorf is already tackling municipal heating planning, even though it doesn't have to submit it until 2028.

Bad Endorf sees itself as a pioneer in terms of transformation and securing the future. "We are one of the first municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants to tackle municipal heating planning," explained Mayor Alois Loferer (CSU). The Upper Bavarian spa town awarded the planning to Bayernwerk Netz from Regensburg and the Institute for Sustainable Energy Supply from Rosenheim (Inev), which has been part of the Bayernwerk Group since October 1 last year, following a call for tenders.

The planning will be based on experience with heating networks. MVV Enamic's heating plant in Bad Endorf has been in operation for more than 20 years and currently supplies around 100 private and commercial customers. In February 2026, the heating plant and heating network will become the property of the market town. This could make it the core of decarbonization. Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants do not have to submit a municipal heating plan (KWP) until June 30, 2028.

Setting priorities for the future

Experiences such as these will "naturally be taken into account" in the KWP process, said Steffen Mayer, Project Manager at Bayernwerk Netz. "Nobody has to rip out their heating at home now," he emphasized at the kick-off meeting in the town hall on 19 January. KWP is providing a roadmap for specific measures and setting priorities for the future, Mayer explained. This includes the question of which heat source makes sense in which part of the municipal area. "The next step is for the municipality to decide which of these will actually be implemented," said Mayer.

Nils Schild and Bela van Rinsum from Inev informed the audience that Bad Endorf had already started collecting data with the support of the administration led by Jens-Folkard Schmidt, head of the building authority, and Cindy Hesl, climate protection manager. This included building types, building age classes, consumers, producers and energy sources.

"We will also contact all relevant local stakeholders again in order to collect and evaluate current and detailed data," said Mayer. He emphasized that continuous public participation is of central importance. For this reason, the organization of a public information event is also one of the tasks on the KWP's agenda.

Information on the Building Energy Act (GEG)

Mayer will present the topic of municipal heat planning at the market town council meeting in February. According to the legal requirements, it is not the task of the KWP to provide detailed planning for technical implementation and economic feasibility or even fixed prices for the supply of heat to end customers. "That would be the next task after completion of the KWP as part of a feasibility study," says Mayer.

Irrespective of the KWP, since the amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG), municipalities the size of Bad Endorf are only permitted to install new gas or oil heating systems in existing buildings from July 1, 2028 if they are powered by 65% renewable energy. For new buildings, the 65 percent rule applies immediately. "But we will also provide separate information on this as part of the public participation process," announced Mayor Loferer.

Author: Susanne Harmsen