This is a joint press release from Bonner Energie Agentur e. V. and the City of Bonn
Mayor Katja Dörner: "With the Bonn Energy Agency, we have a qualified and already established advisory service in the field of energy-efficient building refurbishment. This expertise is of particular value, as a climate-friendly supply of electricity and heat to Bonn's buildings is one of the key building blocks on the road to climate neutrality by 2035. I am delighted that we can use the Energy Agency's expertise to implement Bonn's Climate Plan and further expand its services. This will enable even more people to benefit and at the same time contribute to achieving the climate targets."
Monika Hallstein, Chairwoman of the BEA Board and Head of the Climate Neutral Bonn Program Office, adds: "There are around 58,000 residential buildings in Bonn. If we can successively renovate them in an energy-efficient way and supply them with renewable energy according to the latest standards, we will have taken a big step forward. This will make us independent of uncertain supplies and fluctuating prices."
In terms of Bonn's buildings, the Climate Plan envisages measures that will lead to a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption and increase the refurbishment rate from the current one percent to three to four percent. This can be achieved through refurbishment measures such as insulation, window replacement or heating optimization. Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal are to be gradually replaced by renewable heating technologies such as heat pumps or district heating. Municipal heating planning will also play a major role in this. In order to achieve these goals, the BEA will take the lead in three projects from the Climate Plan and play a key role in one.
Focus on target groups - neighborhood offices and focus initiatives
A central element here will be the development of target group-specific advice and support services in five neighborhood offices. The plan is to set up the first three offices as early as 2024. Two more are to follow in 2025. These will address the target groups locally and provide individual advice directly to private homeowners in the neighborhood.
Another focus is on supporting private landlords and homeowners' associations. This focus initiative will also reach these two target groups. From 2024, the BEA will take over the "Save now!" initiative, which is primarily a public relations measure. The plan is to launch a large-scale campaign aimed at informing as many citizens as possible about energy-efficient measures in a short period of time. These should lead to cost-effective, short-term energy savings. Possible measures include heating optimization and basement ceiling insulation. The City is currently planning a funding program for energy-efficient renovations and heating replacements in old buildings. As soon as the subsidy program has been set up, the BEA will offer accompanying advice.
Many years of experience meets expert knowledge
The Bonn Energy Agency was founded in 2012 as an association of 21 member organizations from the building and energy sector. The aim was and is to make an active contribution to climate protection in the area of housing and construction in Bonn.
"The special thing about the BEA is that we are an association of different stakeholders who want to work together for climate protection in Bonn. We unanimously decided to involve the BEA in the implementation of the Climate Plan," explains Thomas Radermacher, Deputy Chairman of the association. "I represent the district craftsmen's association and seven craftsmen's guilds from the climate-relevant building trades. With the BEA, we have a joint platform with many competent stakeholders such as the consumer advice center, SWB, tenants' association, Haus & Grund, architecture and engineering associations. The perspectives and experiences of the various members flow into the work of the BEA."
For over ten years, the BEA has been providing free and independent advice to private homeowners in Bonn on energy-efficient refurbishment and the use of renewable energies. Today, it is a tried-and-tested information platform. The trust and expertise gained from its work to date forms a solid basis for the implementation of Climate Plan projects.
"We are proud that the City of Bonn has placed its trust in us to actively contribute to achieving the climate targets. The BEA will be significantly expanded with the projects. We will now gradually bring new colleagues on board for 15 positions in order to tackle the new tasks together with them," says Celia Schütze, Managing Director of the Bonn Energy Agency. "Last year, we experienced how the amendment to the GEG led to great uncertainty. This makes it all the more important in our eyes to provide Bonn's citizens with competent support. As part of the new projects, we can now offer more guidance, advice and support for modernization and heating replacement."