Transitioning heating systems in public non-residential buildings

The project “Wärmewende in öffentlichen Nichtwohngebäuden” (“Transitioning heating systems in public non-residential buildings”) deals with the refurbishment of school buildings and its effects, which was carried out as part of the school construction initiative of the city of Berlin.

The project examines which of the refurbishment measures carried out or planned in Berlin schools to date are relevant to energy efficiency and whether the stakeholders involved in the schools have been involved in the planning and practical implementation of the measures. Since buildings and energy supply are responsible for 75 percent of Berlin’s CO2 emissions, energy saving in public non-residential buildings is of great importance and also serves as a model. The school construction initiative would also have the potential to be a powerful engine for the transformation of Berlin’s heat system. Whether it can fulfil this function should be one of the results of the project.

After evaluation of the planning documents, visits will be made to selected schools where further, more detailed investigations will be carried out. On the basis of this information, recommendations for action will be drawn up for the Berlin administrative authorities and accompanying materials for schools. The aim is to make the topic of “saving energy” tangible to pupils in their own learning environment.

The project is a sub-project of the research association Wissen.Wandel.Berlin in the cluster Klimawende sozial. Five Berlin institutes of transdisciplinary sustainability research, which are also part of the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet), have joined forces. Six research projects will be carried out jointly (initially until December 2021) in three clusters (Climate Change Social, Sustainable Management, Digital Transformation), thus creating public spaces for knowledge exchange and joint learning. The UfU is also involved in the project Data Governance and Regulation for a Sustainable Berlin. Further information on Ecornet and the research network can be found on their website.

The project “Wärmewende in öffentlichen Nichtwohngebäuden” is being implemented by the Öko-Institut and UfU within the project “Wissen. Wandel. Berlin. – Transdisciplinary Research for a Social and Ecological Metropolis” of the research network Ecornet Berlin. It is carried out with the financial support of the Governing Mayor, Senate Chancellery – Science and Research Berlin.