The provision of household heating is a sector long overlooked by social science research on energy. Recent political aspirations towards the decarbonisation of household heating in Germany generate renewed interest in collective and neighbourhood-based forms of heat provision, involving technologies such as ground storage and block-type thermal plants, small-scale networks, and often engendering decentralised forms of ownership. These solutions stand aside established forms of utility district-heating and individual household solutions based on gas or electricity. But until now, community and neighbourhood heat solutions are mostly discussed regarding their technical potential for replacing carbon emissions, while little is known about their organisational features and their conditions for success.
Based on fieldwork in Western and Southern Germany, this paper provides an interpretation of typical cases for collective approaches to household heating. It, first, presents an overview on common technological and organisational features. The paper, second, analyses the emergence of these initiatives against the context of specific local market structures and actor constellations. Third, it provides an interpretation of the commons features of these projects, namely how they are set between approaches towards coproduction, community provision and critical urban commons. The paper will conclude with an outlook on future research into local heating systems as a commons between energy markets, decarbonisation strategies and bottom-up activities.
