In Denmark’s municipalities, heating plans have now been drawn up for areas with gas, and work continues to approve district heating projects so that homes with gas are notified of a possible alternative to their gas boilers. In 2023 alone, almost 40,000 gas customers have said goodbye to gas in favour of a green heating solution. In addition, projects are now in place for a further 107,000 conversions to district heating, while almost 59,000 have been informed that a heat pump could be the solution when the gas boiler is retired. Almost 122,000 Danish homes are still waiting to see if district heating will be an option for them. This is according to a new status report jointly produced by the Danish Association of Local Authorities and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.

‘It is still the government’s goal that Danish homes should be heated with green energy. Fossil gas and oil must be phased out. The municipalities have done a great job, and I am not blind to the fact that there may be challenges in getting the last district heating projects across the finish line. The NEKST working group has also made a number of recommendations on how municipalities, district heating companies and relevant authorities can remove some of the obstacles to the green transition. The stage is now set for collaboration to reach the goal,’ says Lars Aagaard, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities.

‘Municipalities and district heating companies are working hard to fulfil the high ambitions of the agreement, and this report shows that we are well on our way. But we’re not there yet. The world looks different today than when the agreement was signed in 2022. Higher prices for materials and construction work, labour shortages and rising interest rates have had an impact on how many projects have been completed. At the same time, falling gas prices have meant that more gas customers are keeping their gas boilers. We therefore look forward to a dialogue with the Minister on how we can get the last district heating projects successfully completed,’ says Birgit S. Hansen, chair of Local Government Denmark’s Climate and Environment Committee. 

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities will follow up on the report together with Danish Association of Local Authorities and enter into dialogue with the municipalities where the potential for district heating has not yet resulted in an approved district heating project.

Faster phasing out of gas in heating

In recent months, the National Energy Crisis Task Force, NEKST, has delved into the area and has given the government recommendations on how gas in heating can be phased out faster, including a number of tips on how municipalities can speed up the regulatory processes for the approval of district heating projects.

In 2025, dialogue committees between Local Government Denmark and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities will take stock of the roll-out of both district heating and individual heat pumps.