Navigating Heat Transitions

Abstract

The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has placed significant pressure on municipalities to decarbonise the residential heating sector, a major contributor to energy consumption and emissions. Municipalities face the complex challenge of navigating numerous factors to implement sustainable heating solutions that are technically feasible, economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially accepted. This thesis addresses this challenge by developing a multidimensional assessment framework and decision-making support tool that acts as a compass, guiding municipalities toward tailored, neighbourhood-specific heat transition strategies. The framework integrates spatial, technical, economic, environmental, social, and regulatory factors to assess and compare sustainable heating technologies at both household and neighbourhood levels.

The primary objective of this research is to determine how sustainable residential heating solutions can be assessed using a multidimensional framework to develop tailored, neighbourhood-specific heat transition strategies for both households and municipalities...