After the German Heating Planning Act (Wärmeplanungsgesetz, WPG) entered into force on January 1, 2024, municipal heating planning, supported by early funding programs, has gained significant momentum. Many local authorities have already taken action – not only in federal states where local regulations have been introduced, but also in places where initiatives rely solely on the national legal framework.
By early May 2025, around 47% of all municipalities in Germany had begun preparing a heating plan (5085 municipalities). An additional 488 municipalities (4.5% of the total) have already completed their plans.
The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development notes that nearly half (47%) of these plans were developed in municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. These are precisely the municipalities that, by law, are not required to submit their plans until mid-2028.
This shows that many municipalities are choosing to act proactively and prepare well ahead of the official deadlines.
The European Energy Efficiency Directive (Article 25) requires regional and local authorities to develop heating and cooling plans in all municipalities with a population of more than 45,000 inhabitants. To support this process, Member States are expected to provide guidelines and recommendations that facilitate the implementation of policies for energy-efficient heating and cooling based on renewable energy sources.
The directive also allows these plans to be developed jointly by several neighboring municipalities, provided that suitable geographical and administrative conditions exist, along with the necessary heating and cooling infrastructure.
