The city of Aachen and the altbau plus association received the Climate Star Award from the Climate Alliance on May 8. The prize was awarded for the interaction between the municipal renovation funding program and the "Energy Caravan" energy consulting campaign.

Refurbishment funding as a climate strategy

Aachen launched a special funding program in 2021 to make the private building stock climate-ready. Since then, the city has been using the program to promote refurbishment measures on the building envelope, such as exterior wall and roof insulation, window replacement and building technology. The aim is to motivate private owners to renovate. However, demand initially fell short of expectations in the first year.

"After a year of the funding program, we started looking for suitable communication tools with which we could address citizens in a targeted manner. We found what we were looking for with the Energy Caravan," says Bastian Peukert, Climate Protection Manager for the City of Aachen.

Energy caravan brings advice to the neighborhood

The turning point came with the "Energy Caravan", an energy consultation service in residential areas. Since 2022, altbau plus has been coordinating the implementation of this project in Aachen. Trained advisors visit residents directly in their homes and provide information about funding opportunities. This direct approach has had an impact: the number of applications rose from 35 in 2021 to 551 in 2024. In 2024, funding totaling over 3.1 million euros was approved.

"The impact of the energy caravan was enormous! The campaign made around 200 additional on-site consultations possible. Thanks to the advisory services, we were able to reach citizens who we would not normally be able to mobilize through other channels," reports Michael Stephan, Managing Director of the altbau plus association. Aachen shows how municipal climate protection can be successfully implemented through a targeted approach and flexible measures.

What is the Climate Alliance?

In the Climate Alliance, over 2,000 member municipalities in more than 25 European countries, federal states, provinces, non-governmental organizations and other institutions work together actively to combat climate change. The Climate Alliance is the largest European network of cities committed to climate protection. The members, from small rural communities to cities with millions of inhabitants, see climate change as a global challenge that requires local solutions.

Internet:

www.aachenklima.de

https://altbauplus.info/