Index – Abroad – Single gas heating is prohibited in Viennese homes

In 2019, the municipality identified eight zones, in some parts of which only residential buildings that produce hot water and heating can be built using efficient heating systems based on renewable energy sources instead of natural gas. These zones are regulated by the districts in the energy management plan, the Vienna Foreign Affairs Office said in a statement.

The city council has now expanded the commitments under the energy management plan to five more districts. In other words, from now on, there will be parts of downtown, Favoriten, Siemering, Heitzing and Laising, where it is no longer possible to heat natural gas or produce hot water in newly built apartments.

The goal is clear: we want to be independent of natural gas by 2040. It is especially clear now how important it is to end our dependence on fossil fuels from abroad. The best solution against dependence and high heating costs is to switch to renewable energy

Jürgen Chernorsky, Vienna’s climate advisor, said about the General Assembly’s decision.

Compared to the national comparison, Vienna has the lowest per capita energy consumption for heating and hot water, but nearly ninety percent of a building’s carbon dioxide emissions are from gas heating.

The Austrian capital plans to introduce an energy management plan in all provinces soon, with the next six already in preparation.