Supporting the delivery of actionable, integrated, and comprehensive local heating and cooling plans

Building technical skills and expertise to prepare, finance, implement and monitor LHCPs

Collecting granular and context-specific geospatial, technical, climatic [6] and socio-economic data for the preparation of LHCPs [7] , using national approaches/standards where available, or approaches which facilitate future compatibility of local data with national databases

Developing comprehensive outlooks for energy demand and supply and identifying spatially tailored decarbonisation measures, for instance the potential for heating and cooling networks in urban and industrial areas

Identifying and assessing financing options for LHCP measures, considering public and private funding, local and regional budgets, energy costs for end users, social acceptance and the needs of energy-poor and vulnerable households

Running participatory processes to streamline planning and administrative procedures including permitting, to address regulatory barriers, and to engage key stakeholders, including public authorities, infrastructure operators, citizens, energy communities, associations, industry, businesses and services, energy producers, energy service providers, utilities and distribution system operators (DSOs)

Coordinating LHCPs with electricity and heating and cooling distribution network and infrastructure development plans, and where relevant, with decommissioning plans for natural gas networks [8]

Establishing structured dialogue and collaboration with competent regional and national authorities, including to inform national-level planning such as NECPs and the National Comprehensive Heating and Cooling Assessments.