17.06.2026
IRI UL Presented SOCIALNRG at Thematic Event on Heating Cooperatives
On 15 June 2026, the Jožef Stefan Institute hosted a thematic event Heating cooperatives: from theory to practice at the IJS Reactor Centre in Podgorica. The event was organised in the framework of the HeatCOOP and LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE projects and focused on the role of cooperative and community-based models in heating.
The participants addressed a highly relevant question for the energy transition: how can provision of heat move towards renewable heating models that actively involve citizens, and what are the potential benefits that this brings? The programme brought together Slovenian and international perspectives on the development of heating cooperatives, including the national framework for heat, practical experience with establishing heating cooperatives, and examples of good practices.
As part of the programme, our colleague dr. Sara Arko (IRI UL) presented the LIFE project SOCIALNRG. In her presentation, titled Inclusive Energy Communities for a Just and Sustainable Future, she focused on how renewable energy communities can be designed to include households that are usually harder to involve, such as social housing tenants, low-income households, households in energy poverty, elderly residents and other energy-vulnerable groups. She presented IRI UL’s role in the project, designing and leading the participatory and co-creation approach. Particular attention was given to the Belgian SOCIALNRG pilot in Mechelen’s Hombeek district, where project partners are exploring whether a geothermal, low-temperature, district heating network could be developed as part of a cooperative model.
The presentation highlighted that inclusive heating cooperatives require more than a technically sound heat network and an appropriate legal form. In mixed-tenure neighbourhoods, such as Hombeek, social housing tenants and private homeowners face different decisions, risks and capacities to participate. Inclusive models therefore need clear governance, trusted local intermediaries, and different participation pathways for different groups.
The event concluded with a guided discussion and exchange of experiences among the international participants. The discussion showed the value of comparing different national and local contexts and sharing practical lessons on how cooperative heating models can become technically feasible, socially inclusive and locally grounded.
