Municipality of Horn
1. Geographical and demographical context
The municipality of Horn is in Lower Austria, north-west of Vienna, and it is situated in the region Waldviertel, which is characterised by a high share of forestry and agriculture in land uses. In total, the municipality covers an area of around 39.2 km², with 25.8 km² being the permanent settlement area. 51% (= 16.3 km²) of the entire municipal area is agricultural land, 33% is woodland, 3.8% gardens, 2% building land, 1% water and 7.6% other areas.
Horn is populated by about 6,502 people in 2023 which corresponds to a population density of about 166 inhabitants per km² in relation to the cadastral area. Horn’s population is growing primarily due to external and internal migration, which is offsetting the negative birth and death balance. A quarter of the resident population is over 65 years old, which is 4% more than in Lower Austria.
The most important economic sector is the tertiary sector, in which 72% of employees work, followed by the secondary sector with 27% and the tertiary sector with 1%. Most people, namely 2,416 people, work in public and social services (tertiary sector), while 1,095 people work in construction (secondary sector). Overall, around 50% of employees commute out of the municipality and 146% commute into the municipality (measured in terms of employees at their place of residence). In addition, the number of workplaces in Horn increased by 35% between 2011 and 2018. This underlines Horn’s position as a regional centre and important employer for the region.
2. Status and future urban development
The municipality has several facilities that are operated by the municipality and the department of Lower Austria, such as a swimming lake, several kindergartens and a sewage treatment plant. There are several educational facilities, e.g. a high school, a new secondary school and a primary school. Horn has good healthcare (one hospital, a wide range of doctors and a care centre). There are also social facilities such as four volunteer fire departments and the Red Cross.
There are a total of 2,235 buildings in Horn in 2023, 81% of which are residential buildings. Of the 1,279 residential buildings, 76% are single-family homes. Single-family houses and semi-detached houses account for living space of 226,200 m² (= 63%), whereas multi-family houses account for living space of 130,900 m² (= 37%). New buildings are primarily being constructed in the new commercial centre of Horn at the border of the municipality.
The centre of the town of Horn is (very) well served by public transport and has several stops. There is also the option of renting e-bikes in Horn. The surrounding villages, on the other hand, have (good) basic accessibility. Horn has a train station, which offers moderate connections to Vienna (1.5-hour travel) and good conditions for environmentally friendly commuting. In addition to the train connection, higher-ranking provincial roads also run through the municipality. The local mobility offer, including feeder services to the train station, is a challenge due to its dependence on motorised private transport.
3. Energy profile and energy policy
Horn’s total final energy consumption reached in 2019 around 220.400 MWh distributed to 31.6% for the mobility of people, 30.4% for the household, 19.9% for services, 8.0% for the construction industry, 6.8% for the manufacturing industry and less than 2% each for agriculture and forestry and the mobility of goods. The sector ‘mobility of people’ shows the highest contribution to the local emission (44.6%) followed by households with 21.5% and services with 15.1%. The high proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from mobility shows that fossil fuels are primarily used in this sector (see figure for an overview).
Share of uses by energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions – Horn
(for further information see https://www.energiemosaik.at/intro – only in German language)
In the municipality, two thirds of the energy consumed is provided by fossil fuels and only one third by renewable energy sources. The majority of energy demand in the transport sector is accounted for by mobility, which in turn is largely covered by fossil fuels. It can be deduced from this that everyday mobility is mainly covered by private cars. The industrial sector is also heavily dependent on fossil fuels, while the service sector has a high proportion of renewable energy sources. Space heating for residential buildings accounts for the largest share of renewable energy use in Horn.
In Horn, renewable energy is generated with the help of 511 photovoltaic systems (output = 8,789 kW) and four biomass local heating plants (output = 4,550 kW) and electromobility is being expanded. There are no wind turbines, small hydropower plants or biogas plants in the municipality.
Energy policy
The municipality of Horn is currently working on a project for the ‘Horn Renewable Energy Community’, in which new photovoltaic systems are installed on public roofs in the form of a citizen participation model.
Together with 14 other municipalities, Horn forms the KLAR! REGION HORN. As part of the KLAR! REGION HORN, regional adaptation options are to be developed jointly in order to minimise the negative effects of climate change and ensure a high quality of life for future generations.
In 2018, Horn was included in the Lower Austrian government s programme for energy-efficient municipalities. This programme recognises those municipalities that want to make a contribution to the sustainable development of our society through the efficient use of energy and the increased use of renewable energy sources. Horn achieved three out of five ‘e’ in 2020, giving it an implementation rate of 51.9 %.
4. Key challenges and priority of actions
A particular challenge with regard to the decarbonisation of the local energy system is the energy demand in the household and mobility sector. The rail connection to Vienna can be described as moderate with a journey time of 1.5 hours and one change of trains. However, it should be noted that a direct rail connection will be realised by 2030, which will shorten the journey time by 15 minutes and eliminate the need to change trains. In addition to the railway connection, higher level regional roads also run through the municipality. The local mobility offer, including feeder services to the train station, poses a challenge due to the dependence on motorised private transport.
Municipality of Eggenburg
1. Geographical and demographical context
The municipality of Eggenburg is located in the southeast of the political district Horn (also eponymic for the municipality Horn, participating in PLENTY-Life). The political district Horn is situated in the region Waldviertel, which is characterized by a high share of forestry and agriculture in land uses. In total, the municipality covers an area of around 23.5 km², with 21.3 km² being the permanent settlement area. 69% (= 16.3 km²) of the entire municipal area is agricultural land, 12% is woodland, 5% gardens, 3% vineyards, 2% building land, 1% water and 7% other areas.
With a population of 3,537 inhabitants as of 2023, Eggenburg belongs to the smaller municipalities of Austria. The population density is 150 inhabitants per km² in 2023, in relation to the cadastral area. Eggenburg s population stagnates: The birth rate is negative and the migration rates are positive. This means that the population will only remain roughly the same due to external and internal migration. 27% of the resident population is over 65 years old, which is 6% more than in Lower Austria.
The most important economic sector is the tertiary sector, in which 77% of employees work, followed by the secondary sector with 22% and the tertiary sector with 1%. Most people, namely 682 people, work in pubic and social services and 326 people work in retail (both tertiary sector).
Overall, around 68% of employees commute out of the municipality and 79% of employees commute into the municipality (measured in terms of employees at their place of residence). In addition, the number of workplaces in Eggenburg increased by 12% between 2011 and 2018. This underlines
Eggenburg s position as a regional center and important employer for the region.
2. Status and future urban development
The municipality has a number of facilities that are operated by the municipality, such as an outdoor swimming pool, a kindergarten or a sewage treatment plant. There are several educational facilities, e.g. a provincial vocational school, a new secondary school and a primary school. Eggenburg has good health care (wide range of doctors and a care center). There are also social facilities such as two volunteer fire departments, a generation center, a youth center and the Red Cross.
There are a total of 1,732 buildings in Eggenburg in 2023, 76% of which are residential buildings. Of the 1,279 residential buildings, 84% are single-family houses. Single-family houses and semi- detached houses have a living space of 148,100 m² (=74%), whereas multi-family houses have a living
space of 52,700 m² (= 26%). New buildings are primarily being constructed in the main town of Eggenburg, especially north of the old town.
The center of the town of Eggenburg in particular is (very) well served by public transport and has several stops. There is also the option of renting e-bikes in Eggenburg. The surrounding villages, on the other hand, have (good) basic accessibility. Eggenburg has a train station, which offers good connections to Vienna (1 hour-travel time) and good conditions for environmentally friendly commuting. In addition to the train connection, higher-ranking provincial roads also run through the municipality. The local mobility offer, including feeder services to the train station, is a challenge due to its dependence on motorized private transport.
3. Energy profile and energy policy
Energy profile
Eggenburg’s total final energy consumption reached in 2019 around 98.700 MWh distributed to 38.9% the household, 28.9% for the mobility of people, 13.2% for the manufacturing industry, 12.9% for services, 3.4% for agriculture and forestry and less than 2% each for construction industry and the
mobility of goods. The sector ‘mobility of people’ shows the highest contribution to the local emission (42.0%) followed by household with 28.1% and manufacturing industry with 13.3%. The high proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from mobility shows that fossil fuels are primarily used in this sector (see figure for an overview).
Share of uses by energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions – Eggenburg
(for further information see https://www.energiemosaik.at/intro – only in German language)
In the municipality, two thirds of energy is generated from fossil fuels and only one third from renewable energy sources. The majority of energy demand in the transport sector is accounted for by mobility, which in turn is largely covered by fossil fuels. It can be deduced from this that everyday mobility is mainly covered by private cars. The industrial sector is also heavily dependent on fossil fuels, while the service sector has a slightly higher share of renewable energy sources than fossil fuels. It is also interesting to note that more than three quarters of space heating is accounted for by the residential sector, half of which is supplied by renewable energy sources.
In Eggenburg, renewable energy is generated with the help of 205 photovoltaic systems (output =2,909 kW), one biogas plant (output = 985 kW) and four biomass local heating plants (output = 2,540 kW) and electromobility is being expanded. There are no wind turbines or small hydropower plants in the municipality.
Energy policy
The municipality of Eggenburg deals with spatially relevant issues as outlined in the local spatial planning programme. With the local development concept, fundamental statements are made on the intended development of the municipality and concretised in sub-concepts on various sectoral topics (including settlement concept, infrastructure and transport concept, business premises concept, landscape concept, energy and climate concept).
The municipality of Eggenburg has been a member of the REC Region Umspannwerk Eggenburg since 2023. Five municipalities cooperate in the REC, whose municipal areas are supplied by the Eggenburg substation.
Together with 14 other municipalities, Eggenburg forms the KLAR! REGION HORN. As part of the KLAR! REGION HORN, regional adaptation options are to be developed jointly in order to minimise the negative effects of climate change and ensure a high quality of life for future generations.
Eggenburg has been a Climate Alliance municipality since December 2000. Climate Alliance municipalities are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (especially CO2) and avoiding the use of tropical timber. For the municipality, this primarily means using energy carefully.
4. Key challenges and priority of actions
A particular challenge with regard to decarbonisation of the local energy system is the energy demand in the household and mobility sector. The biomass-based district heating system represents a potential for the expansion of renewable heat supply, but is in competition with natural gas supply. In the area of mobility good rail connections in the direction of Vienna (1-hour travel) provide good conditions for railway station, poses a challenge for the CET due to the dependence on motorised individual transport.