Heating and cooling account for half of Europe’s final energy demand—yet more than 70% is still supplied by fossil fuels. To reach climate neutrality, Europe needs a radical shift toward clean, efficient, and community-driven solutions.
MUSE DHC (coMmUnity-led actionS for Efficient District Heating and Cooling) is a European project funded under the LIFE-CET programme. It is designed to accelerate the spread of low-temperature, renewable-based DHC networks, turning communities into active drivers of the heating and cooling transition.
MUSE DHC, coordinated by Ambiente Italia, brings together a diverse consortium of 10 organizations across Europe.
The project develops investment plans and governance models that combine renewable energy, waste heat recovery, storage, and heat pumps with strong citizen participation. The result is a blueprint for community-led, fossil-free heating and cooling across Europe.
Learn how the project works
Watch the video to discover how the MUSE DHC project is bringing communities, institutions, and experts together to design a new model of efficient, renewable district heating in Coggiola.
It’s a chance to understand the project’s goals, meet the partners involved, and learn how local stakeholders can actively contribute to shaping the area’s energy future.
Key Objectives
Community-Led Case Studies
MUSE DHC designs investment plans for 9 pilot DHC networks across Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands—tailored to residential, industrial, and tertiary contexts. EnGreen, in particular, will focus on the municipality of Coggiola (Valsessera), working closely with local stakeholders to shape a community-led model for efficient, fossil-free heating and cooling.
Living Labs Engagement
Activating 9 local Living Labs to involve citizens, municipalities, energy suppliers, and cooperatives in shaping technical choices and governance models.
Innovative Tools & Digital Methods
Applying advanced data collection, modelling, and optimization to assess feasibility, guide design, and ensure scalability.
Blueprint for Replication
Producing strategic guidelines, roadmaps, and a final Position Paper to inform national policies and inspire replication in follower case studies across Europe.
Impact
MUSE DHC is more than research—it’s a model for Europe’s clean heating future. By bridging technology, finance, and citizen participation, the project aims to:
- Trigger over €80 million in sustainable investment and generate 83 GWh/year of renewable energy generation
- Demonstrate community-led ownership and hybrid governance schemes
- Reduce CO₂ emissions, improve air quality, and create local jobs
- Provide practical pathways for municipalities to move away from fossil fuels
With its bottom-up approach, MUSE DHC empowers communities to co-design systems that are not only efficient and sustainable but also socially inclusive and economically viable.
Project Partners
- AMBIENTE ITALIA SRL (AMBIT) – IT (Coordinator)
- COOPERATIE ENERGIE SAMEN UA (Energie Samen) – NL
- OPTIT SRL (OPTIT) – IT
- RESCOOP EU ASBL (RESC) – BE
- ENERGY CITIES/ENERGIE-CITES ASSOCIATION (ENC) – FR
- SUNO ENGINYERIA DE SERVEIS ENERGETICS SCCLP (SUNO) – ES
- OSONA ENERGIA SCCL (OECOOP) – ES
- Bois Energie Renouvelable (SPL BER) – FR
- Claremorris and Western District Energy Co-Operative Society Limited (CWE) – IE
- ENGREEN SRL (EnGreen) – IT
Total project cost
1.8M €
Target countries
- Spain
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
Official website: https://musedhc.ambienteitalia.it/
