District heating failure in Pinnow: 140 households suffer from cold!

District heating failure in Pinnow: 140 households suffer from cold!

The failure of the district heating in Pinnow

What's going on in Pinnow, Ludwigslust-Parchim district? Since November 20, 2025, over 140 households have been affected by a massive heat failure. The district heating supply in the region is in jeopardy, and this has dramatic consequences, especially for families, seniors and children. Mayor Günter Tiroux describes the catastrophic situation that has developed since the ailing, 35-year-old system came to a standstill.

New boiler, old problems

The technical difficulties are manifold: out of three boilers, only one actually works, while another loses massive amounts of water and the third keeps switching itself off. However, there is reason for hope: the pellet plant, which covers 70 percent of the base load, was put back into operation on November 27th. In addition, a mobile gas boiler was activated. But the flow temperature only rises very slowly; full heat of 70 degrees is not expected until next week. A used 500kW boiler is due to be installed on Monday and an additional loaner oil boiler will be provided on Wednesday.

Decisions for the future

However, the community has already made far-reaching decisions. The plan is to phase out district heating within the next five years. The community is showing thrift by considering how much money should be invested in the ailing system. The heat losses of the existing system are over 35 percent, and the estimated renovation costs are three to four million euros. So far, 160 households have had to find alternatives to survive the cold winter days.

The challenges of the heat transition

The incident in Pinnow highlights the greater challenges facing the heating transition in Germany. According to that Federal Environment Agency The operation of buildings causes around 35 percent of final energy consumption and a total of 30 percent of CO₂ emissions. Sustainable heat supply is therefore crucial to reducing climate-damaging emissions. Scenario analyzes show that greenhouse gas neutrality goals by 2045 require a shift to innovative heating systems and improved energy efficiency.

Future-oriented approaches and sustainability

The goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and relying more on renewable energies is also urgently needed for the affected Pinnow households. The discussion about cultural and traditional approaches, such as those found in the teachings of the indigenous peoples, shows that cooperation and community thinking are also necessary in heat supply in order to act sustainably economically and at the same time assume social responsibility. In the context of the heat transition, these integrative approaches could provide inspiring impulses to find not only technical but also social solutions.

Pinnow is an example of the urgent need for a future-proof, greenhouse gas-neutral heat supply. The residents hope for early solutions so that they can live in warm apartments again.