The retirement home in Annastrasse will be supplied with district heating in the coming heating period. This energy source will make the tenants of the municipal utility subsidiary GBO Gemeinnützige Baugesellschaft mbH Offenbach less dependent on global political events. GBO intends to gradually convert its properties to environmentally friendly energy sources. As a priority, Managing Director René Weber is examining which of the 2,500 or so apartments equipped with gas heating can be connected to the district heating network. Around 1600 of the 5000 GBO apartments are already heated with district heating.
Martin Wilhelm, the city treasurer and responsible department head, has now visited the retirement home to find out more about connecting a property to the district heating network. He listened to René Weber and project manager Angelo Samarelli explain the steps required to commission the system and the conversion work in the apartments. "It is an important and correct step by the municipal housing association to offer its tenants a reliable and environmentally friendly heat supply. A district heating connection produces around 70 percent less CO2 than a gas heating system. With every converted apartment, GBO is supporting the city's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045." In addition to the connection outside, the work in the tenants' apartments was straightforward: only the heating valves in the individual rooms were checked and replaced if necessary.
District heating comes from EVO
The district heating comes from EVO Energieversorgung Offenbach GmbH, in which Stadtwerke has a stake. The district heating is generated at the energy plant on Dietzenbacher Straße, also known as the waste-to-energy plant. EVO has set itself the goal of becoming the first energy supplier in Hesse to become climate-neutral by 2040.
"GBO bought the retirement home complex in Annastrasse with 28 residential units in 2020. A district heating pipeline runs so close here that a connection was possible with little effort at the end of 2023," says Managing Director René Weber. The follow-up orders for the necessary renewal of the heating system have already been placed, and tenants should be able to use district heating by the start of the next heating period. Tenants will then not only have a reliable and environmentally friendly source of heating, but will also need less energy to keep their homes warm thanks to the modern technology installed.
GBO has applied for subsidies for the connection and expects to receive at least a 30 percent subsidy for the investment. The costs for the connection itself will not be passed on to the tenants.