Villages make common cause when it comes to local heating: a flagship project for the energy transition begins

Villages in the Blue Land are working together to create a local heating supply using wood chip heating - a separate one in each participating town.

They joined together in a society.

Some homeowners can join the energy transition boat.

Murnau

- The time for the start could hardly be more favorable. Prices for crude oil and natural gas are reaching dizzying heights, driving tenants and homeowners alike; At the same time, the energy transition is one of the major political challenges. Two problems for which a new society offers a solution. Representatives from places in the Staffelsee region have now founded the regional heat supply (RWV) Blaues Land GmbH in Murnau. It aims to plan heating and local heating networks in the participating villages, to organize the construction and to guarantee the operation - all within a period of about ten years. This is intended to supply properties owned by the municipalities that act as shareholders, but also private houses, with heat from renewable energies.Wood chips from the region are mainly used as fuel for these village heating systems. This is not set in stone: “In 20 years, another form of energy could be the better one,” says RWV managing director Georg Miller, who also holds this function at the Bäuerlichen Hackschnitzel Liefergesellschaft (BHLG). Miller, Second Mayor of Riegsee, calls the RWV “a vehicle” to bring the villages towards climate-neutral heating; the community foundation Energiewende Oberland is there to advise them.to bring the villages towards climate-neutral heating; the community foundation Energiewende Oberland is there to advise them.to bring the villages towards climate-neutral heating; the community foundation Energiewende Oberland is there to advise them.

Projects usually cost a high six-figure sum in every community

The new GmbH association includes Ohlstadt, Uffing, Großweil, Schwaigen, Riegsee, Spatzenhausen, the Murnau municipal works, which support the project and will probably take care of billing with connected customers, and BHLG. The Seehausen local council will discuss joining the RWV Blaues Land at the meeting on Tuesday at 7.30 p.m. The committees in the other locations still have to approve the GmbH contract. The municipalities plus Gemeindewerke Murnau hold 25 percent of the shares (75 percent are in the hands of BHLG), but according to Millers they have 50 percent voting rights. The RWV also finances the energy transition projects, which will usually cost a high six-figure sum per location without the municipalities having to guarantee. "That can only work through heat purchase agreements," says Miller.

The location of the heating and the course of the route are determined individually

And this is how it works in general terms: In each village, the location of the heating and the course of the local heating pipe, which must pay off, are individually determined.

Sometimes municipal properties in particular could be heated, sometimes residential buildings - or both.

Homeowners who are connected to the grid are free to choose whether or not to give up their old system (mostly based on fossil fuels such as oil and gas) and connect it to the central local heating supply.

Rising oil and gas prices are fueling interest

One thing is clear: Rising prices are currently fueling interest: "The response has definitely been good," says Miller.

Whoever takes part pays a connection fee.

In Grafenaschau, where planning has progressed like in Großweil, so that both should be at the front in the sequence of implementation, this is currently (mostly eligible) 8,000 euros including 15 meters of cable from the property line.

In addition, there is an annual basic price (here 300 to 400 euros) and a working price for the amount of energy consumed.

Small merger makes the alliance more powerful

Does it drive the consumer cheaper than oil?

If you compare the installation of your own new heating system, then the local heating is "at least equivalent in the short term," says Miller.

In the long term, this route is cheaper because of the CO2 pricing of fossil fuels such as crude oil and gas.

Großweil has been heading in this direction for years.

Mayor Frank Bauer (FWG) is convinced: "These small mergers make sense, we are much more effective as a result." He describes the establishment of the GmbH as a "big step, I am very happy that it went so quickly".

The location search is currently in progress in Großweil.

Two spots were discarded, and a spot east of the leisure home is currently being intensively investigated and planned - with a route over Alte Murnauer Strasse and Alter Kirchweg to Schreinerweg.

A small test run in Leibersberg provides valuable experience - Weiler has its own local heating network

“We're not inventing anything new,” emphasizes Miller - rather, one draws on the wealth of experience that others have accumulated.

However, he does not know the construct in the Blue Land in this form a second time: With it, one should have “a unique selling proposition”, says Miller.

The knowledge moves from village to village when it is implemented.

The managing director has already completed a small test run that provided him with “priceless experience”: at home in Leibersberg, which has had a local heating network in operation for three weeks.

The wood chip plant that supplies nine of the ten properties in the hamlet is located on Miller's property.

Oil has had its day.

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