Some like it hot! The gorgeous orchids in the glass house at Luisenpark reach full bloom at a tropical 22 to 24 degrees Celsius. The rich tropical and subtropical flora in Mannheim’s “jungle” flourish with district heating from MVV Energie – it’s what makes the temperature there feel just right.

The region’s most beautiful park is just one example of the forward looking decisions taken over the past 50 years to prepare the way for our exemplary district heating supply. Today, MVV Energie already has one of Europe’s largest and most modern district heating grids. What’s more, a district heating study presented in spring 2008 showed that this energy form of the future has further potential for growth in the Rhine/Neckar metropolitan region. By investing more than
Euro 66 million, MVV Energie aims to tap precisely this potential. We will concentrate and further extend the district heating grid in Mannheim. Not only that, we are also laying a 21 kilometre district heating pipeline to Speyer with link-up possibilities for the districts of Brühl and Ketsch.

So what is it that makes district heating so good for the environment that the Federal Government is offering substantial support for its expansion? District heating is basically a by-product from the generation of electricity. At GKM, the large power plant in Mannheim, the heat emitted when electricity is generated is channelled off in parallel by application of the cogeneration principle, and then transported via our own grid directly to customers. Compared with the conventional generation of electricity and heating energy separately, cogeneration plants work with up to 30 % less fuel, thus cutting CO ₂ emissions. The resources saved by this process make it highly efficient in ecological terms. And customers enjoy further benefits – district heating systems are less susceptible to breakdowns, require little maintenance and are less expensive. Thanks to this clean supply of heating energy, boilers, fireplaces and fuel storage are a thing of the past.