Climate Protection and Energy Supply
District Energy Concepts
Climate protection, energy supply and urban development are inseparable from each other today. Freiburg recognised this fact much earlier than other cities and has been considering energyrelated aspects in the development of urban districts for many years.
Climate Protection as a Factor in District Planning
The energy-related requirements for the new districts of Rieselfeld and Vauban were stipulated as far back as 1992. The „Freiburg Energy-efficient Housing Standard“ for new buildings, introduced thereafter, has exceeded the specifications of the national Energy-saving Ordinance (EnEV) for many years. A basic procedure for „climate protection in land use planning“ was developed to transfer the experience gained to new districts: „Solar optimisation of the development plan“, „Study of energy supply alternatives“ and „Compliance with Freiburg building standards“, were some of the approaches applied in the new residential district of Gutleutmatten. A local heating system incorporating solar heating and combined
heat and power is also being built there in a pilot project, the only one of its kind in Germany.
Climate Protection in existing Building Stock
However, the path to becoming a climate-neutral city involves the energy-saving renovation of existing building stock as well as energy-saving measures in new buildings. Freiburg offers a number of district projects and funding incentives for private households, as well for commerce and industry. It is this kind of projects in particular that need the acceptance of local people. The emphasis here is therefore, above all, on communication and consultation, as well as the involvement of all stakeholders, right from the project development stage.