From experience to practical tools

Throughout the project period, COHEAT has worked with a wide range of activities within the green energy transition. The partners have developed methods for screening areas with potential for collective heat solutions, models for citizen engagement, communication tools, financing guides, and collaborative approaches between municipalities, utilities and local stakeholders.

Many of these experiences and solutions can be difficult to transfer directly because projects often generate knowledge that is theoretical in nature. The purpose of the toolbox is therefore not to present theory, but practical solutions that have been tested in real-life settings. The tools reflect what has worked over the past few years and are intended to inspire others to build on existing experiences.

Cooperation creates results 

An important lesson from COHEAT is that the green transition is not only about technology. Technical planning and analyses are important, but projects become truly successful when citizens, municipalities, utilities, financial actors and other stakeholders work together. The toolbox therefore includes both technical tools and methods for communication, stakeholder engagement and local project development.

From the outset, it was a key objective to ensure that the knowledge generated through the project could be reused. Rather than developing methods solely for the project partners, other actors can also benefit from the experiences and apply them in their own green transition initiatives.

The COHEAT Toolbox is therefore more than a collection of documents. It forms part of the project’s long-term legacy. The aim is to ensure that the experiences continue to support new projects and investments and contribute to the green transition long after the project’s original geographical scope.

The toolbox has been developed with a strong focus on practical application. Municipalities can find inspiration for heat and energy planning, energy companies can find experiences from citizen engagement and project development, and local initiative groups can find inspiration for organising and mobilising citizens.

At the same time, the toolbox provides valuable insights into the methods and collaborations that have helped generate concrete investments through COHEAT.