Stadtwerke Schweinfurt: District heating expansion drastically reduces CO₂ emissions!

Stadtwerke Schweinfurt: District heating expansion drastically reduces CO₂ emissions!

There is good news for all environmentally conscious citizens in Cologne. The Schweinfurt public utility company has successfully completed the expansion of the district heating network on Luitpoldstrasse. From now on, around 550,000 kilowatt hours of heat will be provided annually, which means a significant saving of around 90,000 kilograms of CO₂ per year compared to conventional natural gas supply. The municipal utilities are thus taking an important step towards sustainable energy supply.

In total, around 5,000 households in Cologne are already benefiting from district heating. The annual CO₂ reduction achieved by this environmentally friendly heating solution amounts to an impressive 14 million kilograms. District heating is based on the principle of combined heat and power, which makes it a particularly efficient and emission-free heating alternative.

Benefits for homeowners

What does this mean for homeowners? In addition to the low-maintenance and space-saving heating solution, you benefit from many other advantages. Since no chimney sweep or exhaust gas measurements are necessary, the effort is minimized. In addition, homeowners are well advised with a low primary energy factor of 0.22 - for comparison: heating oil has a factor of 1.1. This figure shows that significantly less primary energy is required for one kilowatt hour of heat generated.

Another plus point: District heating improves the classification in the energy certificate and gives homeowners access to numerous funding programs. But that's not all. A free online information event will take place on November 13, 2025, which will cover topics such as the basics of district heating, the legal framework and the steps to your own district heating connection. Interested owners can contact: www.stadtwerke-sw.de/events register.

A look behind the scenes

But what exactly is the primary energy factor and why is it so important? The primary energy factor (PEF) describes how much primary energy is required to generate a certain amount of heat. When making the calculation, experts take various technical and climatic factors into account in order to accurately record the efficiency of the systems. The PEF for electricity-powered heat pumps is 2.5, while for gas-powered heat pumps a PEF of 1.1 applies, which once again underlines the importance of district heating, which stands out with a value of 0.22.

The development and implementation of reports on CO₂ emissions and primary energy factors has become more important in recent years. The AGFW, which promotes the training of experts for CO₂ emissions, plays a central role here. Prof. Dr. Bücker, an AGFW-certified appraiser, not only trains future appraisers in training courses, but also provides valuable information on changes in networks or generation and their effects on primary energy consumption and the CO₂ emissions balance.

All in all, the expansion of the district heating network in Cologne shows that Stadtwerke Schweinfurt is on the way to a more sustainable future with a clever concept and a good hand. The fact that the city not only protects the environment but also offers real added value to homeowners is a nice side effect. So stay tuned and take advantage of the opportunity for further training at the upcoming information event!