Vienna starts Get out of gas”: heating transition for a greener life!

Vienna starts Get out of gas”: heating transition for a greener life!

On July 7, 2025, the City of Vienna launched the “Get Out of Gas” program to promote the switch to environmentally friendly energies. As part of this initiative, a new advisory service, “Get out of gas locally”, has been set up in Mariahilf since May 2025. The contact point at Amerlingstrasse 11 offers personal advice on site, with a focus on heating conversions and thermal renovations.

The goal is ambitious: Vienna should become climate-neutral by 2040, with heating, hot water and cooking without CO₂ emissions. An important pioneering area for the expansion of district heating is Gumpendorfer Straße, where construction work began in April 2025. According to information from Wien.gv.at, the advisory service had already recorded 30 intensive consultations and around 75 by the end of June 2025 Initial contacts.

Diverse offers and support

The free consultation service is aimed at owners, tenants, property managers and local businesses. Anyone interested can visit the advice center every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. In addition to the personal discussions, weekly consultation hours with experts from the Urban Renewal Area Support (GB*) and Hauskunft Wien are also part of the program. Additional event formats are planned, such as energy consultations in public spaces and guided walks to district heating projects.

In addition, the City of Vienna has launched the “100 Projects Out of Gas” initiative. The aim is to switch from fossil fuels to renewable heating systems and to support a climate-neutral heat supply by 2040. This initiative shows exemplary projects, such as the conversion of multi-story residential buildings that cannot be connected to district heating. This includes switching to technologies such as heat pumps, geothermal energy and biomass, which not only reduce dependence on gas, but also contribute to improving air quality in Vienna, as reported on smartcity.wien.gv.at.

The importance of the heat transition

The desired heating transition is not only important for Vienna, but is also crucial at a national level. In Germany, for example, the operation of buildings causes around 35% of final energy consumption and 30% of CO₂ emissions. Heat supply represents an essential part of energy consumption, which makes the creation of a sustainable heat supply in order to reduce climate-damaging emissions essential, as the Federal Environment Agency emphasizes.

In order to meet the climate goals in accordance with national framework conditions, measures must be taken constantly and proactively. Innovative processes such as energy-saving renovations and the use of heat pumps are highlighted as key technologies. In Vienna, the “Get Out of Gas” initiative is taking an important step in the right direction to meet both the city's goals and broader climate protection requirements.