26.06.2025

Source: Rödl & Partner

With the new Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG), industrial waste heat is moving more into the focus of the heating transition. Waste heat from industrial plants, data centers and other processes holds enormous untapped potential for decarbonizing the heat supply.

Since January 2025, the new platform for waste heat has been making this potential transparent: over 21,000 registered sources with a total of 223.7 TWh of heat per year have already been recorded - significantly exceeding the 9.6 TWh fed in to date. There is particularly large potential in urban regions such as NRW, Hamburg and Berlin.

The legal requirements (§16 & §17 EnEfG) oblige companies to use and report waste heat. Despite technical and economic challenges, its use offers clear advantages: additional income, increased energy efficiency and a contribution to security of supply.

Funding programs such as BEW and EEW support both industry and heating network operators with attractive subsidies and financial assistance.

Conclusion: The legal and subsidy policy prerequisites have been created - now it is a matter of implementation on site. Industrial waste heat can be a central building block for the decarbonization of municipal heating networks.

Read the full article on the Rödl & Partner website.