Residential heating emissions tool in the Climate Action Navigator: High-resolution estimation based on open data

Abstract

Reducing CO 2 emissions from residential space heating is critical to achieve carbon neutrality, particularly in urban areas. However, effective climate action is often hindered by the lack of precise location-specific emissions data. This study introduces the first web tool for estimating direct (i.e., scope 1) carbon dioxide emissions resulting from space heating of residential buildings at a sub-city scale (100-m resolution). The web tool employs a bottom-up approach entirely based on publicly available data, including buildings’ age of construction and energy source, average living space per capita, and population counts. Validation against official emission inventories at the national level and for four cities in Germany showed that the tool’s CO 2 estimates deviated by less than 2% Visualized spatial emission patterns reveal their spatial heterogeneity and apparent associations with urban morphology, highlighting areas where action could be prioritized. A web-based dashboard is available at HeiGIT’s Climate Action Navigator , and the code of the residential heating emission tool available on GitLab .