Halved electricity consumption, the opportunity for district heating to contribute with negative emissions and a citizens' assembly - a lot is happening in Örebro! Last week, the Viable Cities program office visited the Climate Neutral Örebro kick-off.
There are lots of things happening, and some of them are:
- ÖrebroBostäder AB (ÖBO), the municipality's public housing company, is working to make existing buildings smart and has more than halved the electricity consumption in its homes (52%) since 2005. Heat consumption has been reduced by 22%. This has reduced operating costs by more than 100 million per year, which is estimated to be equivalent to 2 billion in increased property values. This clearly shows that there is no conflict between increased climate benefits and competitiveness.
- District heating accounts for a significant part of the climate impact in Örebro. Together with the local district heating supplier, a joint action plan is being developed, with activities to reduce the climate footprint of district heating. Energy efficiency and power optimization are important contributions in the work, where the long-term ambition is also for the CHP to be able to contribute with negative emissions through CCS technology.
- During the spring, a citizens' assembly will be held together with Örebro University. The Citizens' Assembly is a dialog model based on the idea of deliberative conversations among a representative sample of residents that will provide opportunities for constructive dialog on issues and dilemmas related to the climate transition. The method will be interesting to evaluate for further work on involving and engaging residents in the transition process.
