Böblingen has a new heating strategist: Sabine Kaebert is taking over!

Böblingen has a new heating strategist: Sabine Kaebert is taking over!

Stadtwerke Böblingen (SWBB) has announced an important personnel change at the top of its technical department. Sabine Kaebert will be the new Technical Managing Director from June 1, 2025, succeeding Alfred Kappenstein, who is retiring at the end of August. Kappenstein, who has been responsible for SWBB's technical matters since July 2018, played a key role in the expansion of district heating in Böblingen and played a central role in the mediation of the district heating price adjustment in 2019. Kaebert, 45 years old and a graduate engineer in environmental protection technology, began her career in 2007 as a project engineer at SWBB.

In her previous role, Kaebert has managed significant projects in the areas of water and district heating supply, swimming pools, parking facilities and industrial tracks. She has been head of the construction/networks department since 2019 and technical authorized representative since 2022. Christine Tomschi, SWBB's commercial director, was positive about Kaebert's appointment and emphasized her extensive knowledge of the corporate culture.

Challenges in the area of ​​district heating

The Böblingen municipal utilities are currently also facing challenges in the area of ​​district heating. In 2019, a mediation agreement was reached between the SWBB, the Böblingen District Heating Interest Group (IGFW) and the city of Böblingen to resolve a conflict regarding district heating prices. This agreement has fostered an open dialogue about fair pricing. However, there are still differences of opinion about target margins, personnel costs and fixed costs.

At an information event on November 13, 2023, the IGFW criticized the SWBB tariffs. The municipal utilities explained that the tariffs had not been adjusted since 2019 due to a price guarantee, despite significant increases in the cost of heat. In order to take the price development into account, the tariffs had to be increased by around 40%, which is noticeable for customers. However, compared to other heat suppliers, SWBB's end customer tariffs are still relatively low.

Developments in the district heating network

The district heating network in Böblingen and Dagersheim extends over around 60 km and supplies around 2,000 consumption points. An important part of the heat supply is the local residual waste cogeneration plant, which contributes 70% to heat production. Future negotiations on a new heat supply contract, which should be valid from January 1, 2025, aim to decouple the price development of oil and gas. This new contract will be measured against labor and capital goods price indices and will have no impact on tariffs from January 1, 2024.

The Böblingen municipal utilities are also part of a joint district heating company with the Sindelfingen municipal utilities in order to connect the two district heating networks. This collaboration could also be crucial in the future to master the challenges of the energy transition. Current developments in the area of ​​district heating show that SWBB wants to actively participate in the transformation of heat, gas and electricity supplies in order to meet the requirements of the energy transition. Further details on the challenges and goals of the municipal utilities can be found in an article by Mirror to read.