Reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Thuringia: The Thuringian State Energy Agency (ThEGA) provides support through knowledge transfer.

Published

17.10.2025

Author

Franziska Gerlach

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The Thuringian State Energy Agency (ThEGA) helps to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Thuringian municipalities.

The energy transition presents municipalities and districts with major challenges while simultaneously offering potential for energy savings and climate protection. The Thuringian Energy and GreenTech Agency (ThEGA) helps to address these challenges and utilize this potential in a targeted and sustainable manner.

The challenge: to find and utilize potential savings.

Municipal buildings such as town halls, schools, and sports halls often consume more energy than necessary. Regular monitoring of building technology and consumption data can save up to 15% of these costs without investing in new technology or renovations. Modern mobility concepts and optimized street lighting can reduce these costs even further.

These potentials are often untapped, frequently due to a lack of time, knowledge, and personnel resources. ThEGA supports municipalities in saving energy, costs, and CO2 emissions, as well as in developing the knowledge and structures for energy management.

The goals for effective climate protection in municipalities

Utilizing the potential for effective climate protection in Thuringian municipalities
Reducing energy costs and energy consumption in Thuringian municipalities
Imparting (specialized) knowledge and building structures for municipal climate protection
Knowledge transfer and exchange of experience between municipalities are made possible

"Energy management helps the environment and the city's finances."

Professor Dieter Sell, ThEGA Managing Director

"Thuringian cities, towns and districts are key players in climate protection and energy efficiency. As the state energy agency, we are working to ensure that climate-friendly energy use is a natural part of daily business for public administrations. We have already trained energy managers in more than 50 districts and municipalities and demonstrated that energy management pays off for both the city budget and the environment."

Tools, workshops and e-guides for climate protection

1

Energy managers trained by ThEGA and the online tool “KomEMS” provide support for saving energy in municipal buildings and for setting up one's own energy management system.

2

ThEGA's consulting services and workshops support municipalities in the energy-efficient conversion of street lighting.

3

ThEGA trains municipal employees to become e-guides in order to make mobility in municipalities environmentally friendly and future-oriented.

4

The network for municipal climate protection supports the work and exchange of municipal climate protection managers in Thuringia and initiates joint projects.

Results: Knowledge transfer fosters innovation in energy management

ThEGA has trained more than 70 energy managers who apply their new knowledge daily and are responsible for energy management in their municipalities. The online portal "KomEMS" supports them in this endeavor. It has received the German Innovation Award for Climate and Environment and is now in use in ten German states.

In addition, ThEGA has participated in the renewal of more than 50,000 streetlights in Thuringia and has trained over 30 e-guides who are shaping the transport transition and planning the mobility of the future in their municipalities. The ThEGA network for municipal climate protection unites more than 20 Thuringian climate protection managers, facilitates professional exchange, and initiates joint projects and campaigns.