Vienna is gearing up: new district cooling to combat the tropical night heat!

Vienna is gearing up: new district cooling to combat the tropical night heat!

Vienna is all about rising temperatures: on June 8, 2025, the city experienced the first tropical night of the year, with temperatures of over 20 degrees. In view of this development, Wien Energie has launched a comprehensive program to modernize and expand the district cooling system in order to meet the population's growing cooling needs.

As 5min reports, the new district cooling center in Floridsdorf will be the first measure. It goes into operation together with modernized systems and a comprehensive renovation of the district cooling center on Schottenring. This is necessary because 2024 set a new record with 53 tropical nights in the city center and this trend is not expected to be reversed next summer.

Investment in the future

Wien Energie is investing around 90 million euros over the next five years in expanding the system, which is essential for both the comfort and health protection of the population. Another innovation is the ice storage facility that is being built on the MedUni campus. It is intended to absorb peak consumption and further increase the efficiency of the new cooling center. Commissioning is already planned for this summer, so that Vienna can go into the hot months well prepared.

The new refrigeration machines bring with them a significant increase in capacity: by replacing old machines, the total output is increased by 1.9 megawatts, so that the total capacity is 20 megawatts. The new district cooling center in Floridsdorf will also directly supply the Central Hub office and commercial park with 6 megawatts.

Efficient cooling on the rise

As Heute emphasizes, this system not only contributes to cooling, but also to sustainability. District cooling saves over 50 percent CO₂ emissions compared to conventional air conditioning, which is particularly important in times of climate change. The cooling ring, which was completed in 2024, connects the various district cooling centers in the city center and enables better distribution of cooling capacities. The district cooling network currently supplies around 200 buildings with a total length of around 30 kilometers and a cooling connection capacity of 230 megawatts.

The need for these investments is reinforced by the Heat island effect further strengthened. Cities are often hotter than the surrounding areas due to their sealed surfaces, traffic and other factors. In these situations, cooling through technical solutions such as district cooling becomes particularly important to keep living standards high in urban areas.

Overall, it appears that Vienna is well prepared for the challenges of increasing heat and tropical nights. The expansion of district cooling will not only ensure a pleasant stay in the city, but also make a significant contribution to climate protection.