Vienna Energie secures the future: Tiergarten Schönbrunn becomes climate -neutral!

Vienna Energie secures the future: Tiergarten Schönbrunn becomes climate -neutral!

Wien, Österreich - On April 24, 2025, Vienna Energie announced the connection of the Schönbrunn zoo to the district heating network. This measure is part of the comprehensive plan to increase energy efficiency and to reduce CO2 emissions in the region. The connection will replace the older gas boiler system, which previously operated with an output of ten megawatts. This step can save about 800 tons of CO2 annually, which corresponds to the CO2 sond force of around 60,000 trees. The aim of Vienna Energy is to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.

The new district heating supply will not only affect the zoo itself, but also the administration building, the gastronomy and the desert house in the area. In order to connect the zoo to the existing district heating network, the construction of a new line is required. In addition, more than 60 other buildings along this new line could be supplied with district heating. This measure not only increases the available district heating performance in the region, but also relieves the property owners from the need to decarbonize their heating systems.

renewable energies in focus

Wien Energie intends to fundamentally reform the district heating supply. Over half of the district heating is currently operated with gas-fired power plants, which, however, cause fewer CO2 emissions compared to individual gas heaters. In the long term, the company plans to do without fossil fuels in district heating by 2040. Over 50 percent of district heating production will in future come from renewable energy sources such as deep geothermal energy and large-scale heat pumps. The largest heat pump from Vienna Energy, which uses waste heat from the Ebswien sewage treatment plant, is already supplying 56,000 households today.

In partnership with OMV, the Joint Venture "Deepeep" was founded to promote the use of deep geothermal energy. In this context, an investment of around 20 million euros will be placed in the planning of deep geothermal projects in Vienna. Up to seven deep geothermal systems are planned, which are intended to produce up to 200 megawatts of performance in order to supply up to 200,000 households in Vienna with climate-neutral district heating. The first facility in Aspern is to create 20 megawatts and go into operation in 2027.

green district heating as a strategic component

The green district heating is viewed as an important building block to achieve the climate goals in the heat and building sector. Studies show that urban metropolitan areas without climate -neutral heat from sources such as geothermal energy or large heat pumps will not succeed in fulfilling the climate goals by 2050. Therefore, extensive modernization of the district heating infrastructure is necessary. This includes changes in the legal framework and sufficient financial support. The federal funding of efficient heating networks (Bew) is considered essential to promote necessary decarbonization measures.

Overall, it can be seen that the deep -effective measures for the transformation of heat supply not only cause an immediate reduction in emissions, but also influence the stability of energy prices in the long term. With local renewable energy, Vienna Energie can guarantee reliable and sustainable district heating supply that can also use future generations. The progressive developments in the field of renewable energies mark a decisive step towards a climate -neutral future for the city of Vienna.