Five cities have emerged victorious from the BMBF's "Energy-efficient city" competition: Delitzsch, Essen, Magdeburg, Stuttgart and Wolfhagen. Between 2011 and 2017, they were able to put the innovative concepts they developed as part of the competition into practice in order to increase energy efficiency at a local level.

The IZT research project accompanied the implementation of the concepts in the five cities focussing on "Innovations with services". The innovation strategies and realisation steps were accompanied by municipal case analyses. The IZT's own research contribution examined current topics in greater depth, which were analysed using the examples and in cooperation with the competing municipalities. These included the acceptance of new technologies such as smart meters and electromobility, services for financing energy-saving measures and new value creation processes and business models. In this way, knowledge was developed during the project that other municipalities can also apply. 

The BMBF's "Energy-efficient city" funding initiative aimed to increase energy efficiency in cities and municipalities by taking a systemic view of the city and developing innovations with services. Innovative models and solutions were developed and implemented in line with the German government's climate protection goals and the specific urban structures and functions. A holistic, system-orientated approach was pursued. In line with the German government's high-tech strategy, innovations with services played a key role.

The "Energy-efficient city" competition was launched by the BMBF in April 2008. In an initial funding phase, 15 local authorities developed practical implementation concepts. In autumn, Federal Minister Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan awarded prizes to five winners. The cities of Delitzsch, Essen, Magdeburg, Stuttgart and Wolfhagen were given the opportunity to implement their concepts between 2011 and 2017.

The participants' understanding of the role of services as a success factor for the implementation of energy efficiency measures was broadly interpreted in the concepts: Services were used in the city system as "enablers" for the increased use of efficiency technologies, as "accelerators" for the implementation of measures and as users of new technologies (e.g. information and communication technologies) to open up and further develop energy efficiency markets. In the urban system, services were used as a "hinge" between providers and users, as a mediator between actors and technologies and as an instrument for overcoming obstacles.

Innovations with services formed one pillar of the accompanying research for the five-year implementation phase of the "Energy-efficient city" competition. The second pillar focussed on energy research activities to optimise scientific support for the five funded cities. The overall aim was to create a bracket around the funded implementation concepts in order to maximise the multiplier effect and transferability to other municipalities. The overall coordination of the accompanying research was the responsibility of Prof. Dr Hermann-Josef Wagner and Prof. Marco Koch, Chair of Energy Systems and Energy Economics at Ruhr University Bochum.

The BMBF competition "Energy Efficient City" promoted innovation by combining the results and methods of service research with the specialist and technological expertise of other disciplines. The IZT had already supported the conceptual phase of the competition from 2008 to 2010.

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