Plan4Cold

Objective and activities

The goal of the project is to develop sustainable heating and cooling plans, aiming for these to also be recognized as political commitments within the local policy framework. Further, beyond the municipalities involved directly in the project, Plan4Cold aims to reach additional regions and cities to spread the insights gained regarding local sustainable heating and cooling planning. To achieve this, Plan4Cold will develop resources and tools, but also capacity building materials from which regional and local authorities can benefit. The project will also set up local Communities of Practice to further involve local, regional and national stakeholders in the heating and cooling planning process.

Additionally, Plan4Cold wants to contribute to describing national heating and cooling sectors. By identifying and providing data which is necessary to collect in national assessments, the project is helping to build the basis for municipalities to develop their local plans.   
 

Background of Plan4Cold

Plan4Cold will help cities and towns to comply with the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). The EED’s aim is to help member states onto an energy transition path with an energy efficiency first principle, by reducing energy needs and consumption and by supporting the adoption of the most efficient technologies. Specifically, §25 of the EED makes it necessary for municipalities with more than 45,000 inhabitants to develop local heating and cooling plans.

Heating and cooling is responsible for a central part of the energy demand in the European Union, meaning that decarbonisation of this sector is crucial for the successful transition to a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050. The reality of Southern European municipalities for heating and cooling planning is very different from other European regions, so local heating and cooling plans require a different approach. In Southern Europe, cooling plays a larger role than in other European countries, and cooling needs will rise significantly due to the impacts of climate change.

Transforming the heating and cooling sector is a complex challenge, since a large number of stakeholders needs to be involved. Beyond the technical barriers of increasing renewable energy sources, there is also political, legal and social barriers to decarbonising the heating and cooling sector.