Vienna

This programme addresses issues related to public transport, i.e. network expansion, quality and measures to increase its attractiveness as well as emission reduction and energy efficiency in the rolling stock and basic infrastructure. The share of trips made by means of public transport, if measured against the total of all trips undertaken by the Viennese population throughout a year (modal split), has increased from 29% in 1993 to 38% in 2017. Thanks, amongst others, to the expansion of the underground network, the modal split in Vienna was characterised in recent years by a development in favour of public transport.

As of 31 December, 2017, the installed cooling capacity of Wien Energie amounts to 100 MW, which are provided by a total of 13 refrigeration units. As a result of numerous customer connections to the district cooling units, the cooling energy, supplied by environmentally friendly means, was increased from approximately 95,000 MWh in 2014 to around 117,000 MWh in 2017. By using district cooling, a significant reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved annually and, furthermore, over 73,000 MWh of primary energy can be saved per year, compared to conventional refrigeration systems.

The Municipal Directorate for Climate Protection Coordination in Vienna created three short videos in cooperation with Austrian cabaret artists to convey climate protection issues in a humorous way. They deal with topics such as the advantages of green spaces in the city, regional shopping, cycling and the negative effects of extensive meat consumption/the livestock industry on the climate. These videos were successfully communicated on all internet sites and various social media channels. Concrete emission savings from the distribution of these videos cannot be precisely quantified, as there is no experience yet regarding the influence of such videos on the behaviour of viewers.

The Wiener Linien - Vienna’s public transport operator - exchanges old fluorescent tubes for LED lights in underground stations in Vienna. Around 12,400 fluorescent tubes on underground platforms have already been replaced. The Wiener Linien network expects energy savings of more than 2,000,000 kilowatt hours per year by virtue of these replacements. The decision in 2014 to switch to LED retrofit lamps instead of halogen lamps from 2015 onwards followed the completion of various lighting projects and also reflected the EU Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC. As a result, faulty halogen bulbs and light bulbs are solely replaced by LED retrofit bulbs, thereby ensuring a gradual transition.

The Municipal Directorate for Climate Protection Coordination in Vienna designed a climate memory game especially for children of kindergarten and primary school age. It conveys important aspects of climate protection in a playful way. The lively presentation of the illustrations in the look of the „Vienna Brand" promotes the play experience and inspires young players with enthusiasm for the topic. The game was produced in an edition of 2000 sets. Concrete emission savings from the distribution of these games cannot be precisely quantified, as no empirical values regarding the influence on the behaviour of children and the possible effect on other persons in the family are available yet.

In 2015, the market share of district heating in the low-temperature heating sector in Vienna amounted to approximately 36%. As long as the framework of the sector essentially stays the same, the growth potential for district heating is limited. In addition to the district heating supply, decentralised efficient heat supply solutions are offered to customers, also in conjunction with the district heating grid. By means of its offers, the city of Vienna seeks to gain more than a 50 percent share of the annually emerging heat demand (both in new and existing buildings).

The district cooling project for the Central Stations currently the most significant one of Wien Energie (Electricity, gas and heating supplier in Vienna) using this specific technology and primarily consists of three parts: • the refrigeration centre composed of refrigeration machines and located under the tracks of the new Central Station • the cooling towers for re-cooling in the adjacent park, the Schweizergarten • the district cooling network, which transports the cold water in pipes to the customers The refrigeration centre has a cold water output of 20 megawatts in the first stage of development. However, there are plans already in place to increase the output to 25 megawatts.