Project description

In November 2023, the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) came into force, which sets ambitious targets for the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption for 2030. For Austria, this means increasing the share of renewable energy from around 36% to at least 60%. To achieve this, the share of renewables in the heating market must be practically doubled.

The Climate and Energy Fund is supporting a region in Austria that is demonstrating the pilot implementation of decarbonization in the heating sector as part of the “Raus aus Öl und Gas”call for tenders for climate and energy model regions. In this respect, Eisenstadt and 14 surrounding municipalities were able to prevail against numerous competitors.

In 2023, space heating demand in the focus region of Eisenstadt and the surrounding area amounted to around 490 GWh/a, with residential buildings accounting for around 70 % and non-residential buildings for around 30 %. Of the more than 17,000 heating systems, almost 45 % are fired with fossil fuels (approx. 6,150 with gas, 1,400 with oil, 250 with coal); in the provincial capital Eisenstadt, the proportion is even higher at around 58 %. A large proportion of these private heating systems as well as those of 11 large companies, 83 SMEs and around 3,500 individual companies are to be converted to renewable energy sources.

In addition to technical innovations and regionally coordinated supply concepts, incentives and supplementary offers for different target groups (private households, housing developers, companies, etc.) must be developed and offered to encourage as many people as possible to take action.

The main objectives of the project are:

  • Replacing fossil fuel heating systems, thermal refurbishment, increasing district heating consumption and measures to increase building energy efficiency.
  • Heat-oriented energy space planning for sustainable housing development.
  • Support for energy-poor households
  • Expansion of the production and use of renewable gas.
  • Avoiding the use of fossil fuels for the provision of process energy.
  • Municipalities act as role models for the heating transition.

The following measures, among others, are being implemented to achieve these goals:

  • Promoting the early replacement of fossil fuels (oil and gas) through targeted and innovative business and financing models
  • Participatory competition for the replacement of fossil-based heating systems
  • AI-supported, digital municipal energy accounting including automated data collection
  • Optimization of spatial energy planning with the help of a cross-municipal heat atlas
  • Expansion and densification of existing district, local and micro-heating systems including gradual transformation towards the 5th and 6th district heating generation
  • Energy consulting campaign for households, public municipal buildings and businesses
  • Biomethane campaign in cooperation with Umweltdienst and the Burgenland Chamber of Agriculture

The success of this project depends largely on the commitment of the participating municipalities, but also on the support of the province of Burgenland and other experts (Energie Burgenland, Energieberatung Burgenland, LEADER, tourism association, social institutions, etc.).

 

 

Project partner

  • 15 municipalities (Eisenstadt, Breitenbrunn, Donnerskirchen, Klingenbach, Mörbisch, Oslip, Oggau, Purbach, Rust, Schützen am Gebirge, Siegendorf, St. Margarethen, Trausdorf, Wulkaprodersdorf, Zagersdorf)
  • Forschung Burgenland GmbH
  • Province of Burgenland
  • LEADER region “LAG nordburgenland plus”
  • Burgenland Chamber of Commerce
  • Communications manager Petra Simon
  • Environmental Service Burgenland
  • Energy consulting Burgenland-EBB
  • Burgenland Association of Municipalities
  • Volkshile Burgenland
  • Caritas Burgenland
  • Catholic Women's Movement Burgenland
  • Tourism Association
  • Burgenland Chamber of Agriculture
  • Landesholding Burgenland GmbH
  • Landesimmobilien Burgenland GmbH
  • Neue Eisenstädter Gemeinn. Bau- Wohn- u. SiedlungsgesmbH
  • Oberwarter gemeinnützige Bau- Wohn- u Siedlungsgen reg. Gen.mbH
  • Herz Energietechnik GmbH
  • Land Burgenland: Details zur Energiewende Eisenstadt und Umgebung
  • Energynewsmagazine: Forschungsprojekt zur Energiewende
  • Krone: 15 Gemeinden läuten die Energiewende ein
  • Mein Bezirk: 15 Gemeinden startem Pilotprojekt zur Energiewende
  • BVZ: 15 Gemeinden im Bezirk Eisenstadt kooperieren für „Wärmewende"
  • ORF Burgenland: Region Eisenstadt will raus aus Öl und Gas - burgenland.ORF.at
  • Kurier: Burgenland als Vorreiter bei erneuerbarer Energie