Heated specialist day in Dresden: Heat planning for the future of municipalities

Heated specialist day in Dresden: Heat planning for the future of municipalities

On October 2, 2025, an important conference on municipal heat planning will take place in Dresden. Organized by the Saxon Energy Agency – SAENA GmbH, the event aims to shed light on the challenges and opportunities of heat planning for all stakeholders involved. The conference will take place in the SAENA, Pirnaische Straße 9 take place and represents an important basis for a climate-neutral, cost-efficient and resilient heat supply.

The morning session opens with specialist and impulse lectures that deal with the implementation of the heating regulations, financing issues and best practices.
Topics such as a municipality's perspective for successful heating planning and the perspective of a community heating network are particularly on the agenda. In the afternoon, participants can look forward to various information and exchange formats that are designed according to the interests of those present.

Role of municipal heat planning

Municipal heat planning (KWP) is not just a challenge, but a central task for the future of heat supply in Germany. Over 50% of national final energy consumption comes from heat, which is largely still covered by fossil fuels, according to a report by SaxonyEnergy is to be read. Given this fact, federal states are obliged to create heat plans to pave the way to climate neutrality by 2045.

An important set of rules for this is the Heat Planning Act (WPG), which was passed by the German Bundestag on November 17, 2023 and came into force on January 1, 2024. It creates the legal basis for nationwide heat planning in Germany. This is of great importance because many households rely on fossil fuels such as gas or oil; Almost every second household in Germany heats with gas.

Opportunities and support for communities

Heat planning offers numerous opportunities for municipalities. The Saxon Energy Agency and other institutions support the communities in all steps of heat planning. Cities and municipalities are supported from the initial concept development through to implementation. This includes, among other things, decisions on the implementation of heat planning, inventory and potential analyzes and the publication of heat plans. The introduction of renewable energies in existing heating networks is also a central concern. From 2029, new gas or oil heating systems will be required to integrate renewable energy.

In summary, it can be said that the upcoming specialist conference in Dresden offers an excellent platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices on municipal heat planning. It is an opportunity to set the course for a sustainable heat supply in Saxony. Those interested can register by a certain date and have the opportunity to discuss in various specialist groups, whether as beginners or advanced users.

If you need more information, you can contact the organizers directly: Antje Fritzsche, the technical contact at SAENA, is available on 0351 4910-3173 or by email at antje.fritzsche@saena.de. A contact for the press is Sylvia Hünlich, who can be reached at 0351 4910-3158 or via email at sylvia.huenlich@saena.de.

The challenges of heat planning are great, but they also offer enormous opportunities for a climate-friendly restructuring of our energy supply. The ball is now in the court of the municipalities and their representatives to draw the good from the future.