Heating with wastewater?
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In Schmölln, Thuringia, an innovative pilot project shows how sustainable heat supply can be achieved in old buildings. The Robert Koch district uses waste heat from the neighboring sewage treatment plant to heat 120 households efficiently and in a climate-friendly manner. The treated wastewater maintains a constant temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius. It is fed into the residential buildings via a newly constructed local heating network. There, heat pumps heat the water to up to 60 degrees and feed it into the heating systems.
The state of Thuringia funded the project with €3.2 million and implemented it in less than a year. In addition to the energy center with heat pumps and buffer storage, a 3.4-kilometer-long pipe network was built. Test operations have already reduced CO₂ emissions by around 175 tons per year. This represents a saving of around 84 percent compared to the previous gas supply.
Particularly noteworthy: the solution also works in unrenovated old buildings with classic radiators. Schmölln is thus sending a strong signal for the heat transition and offering other municipalities a transferable model. Erfurt is also planning a similar project to start in 2029. The use of wastewater heat could thus become a central building block for a climate-neutral future.
If you want to learn more about wastewater and its potential, or if you want to switch to dry toilets right away, connect with us and let’s work together to make better use of resources.
Photos: https://www.pexels.com/de-de/foto/dammerung-kunst-wasser-dunkel-5131191/ & https://www.pexels.com/de-de/foto/feuer-entwurf-design-innere-14946362/
