KeepWarm is an EU-funded project whose objective is to accelerate cost-effective investments in the modernisation of District Heating Systems (DHS). It brings together eleven project partners from a variety of relevant sectors (energy agencies, national DHS associations, agricultural chambers, research institutes, consultancies on energy efficiency and NGOs) across Central and Eastern Europe, in particular in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Within this region, DHS are frequently still inefficient and for the most part still overly reliant on fossil fuels (oil, gas or coal).

The aim of this initiative, launched in April 2018, is to modernise DHS around the whole region and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving system operations and promoting a switch to less-polluting sources, like renewables. The project partners strive to ensure that best practices for environmentally-friendlier heating and cooling will be taken up across Europe, replicating KeepWarm’s approach in other countries and regions, even beyond the end of the project in September 2020.

The project is coordinated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). ICLEI is leading the coordination of communication, dissemination and exploitation of the project activities and results, including the organisation of peer-to-peer exchange, an ambassador programme, as well as an 'inspire' event series for national and European outreach.

In October 2019, project partners have launched a Learning Centre, to pool knowledge and resources on district heating systems in different languages. It is open and free for all stakeholders involved in the planning, provision or use of district heating, who would like to deepen their knowledge or find hands-on information to help support their decision-making process on thermal systems.