ing, which takes place online. Køge Fjernvarme also has a Face- book page that informs about the project and allows users to ask questions and comment. As the campaign is rolled out to new areas, potential new cus- tomers will receive printed sales material. However, doubts and the need for further clarification can always arise. The em- ployees in the distribution department are ready to receive customer inquiries via mail or telephone and possibly arrange a meeting with the customer. The new distribution department will have an office in con- nection with Køge combined heat and power plant but also operates with a customer office close to where the customers come daily. In mid-October, the office opened in Køge Midtby (Køge town center) after having had an address in northern Køge for a few months. In addition to expanding district heating for single-family houses, district heating must also be established for new con- structions. Finally, new smaller customers must be connected with branch lines in the areas where district heating is already es- tablished but only supplies the current large customers. This "densification" will take place over time. The construction project In addition to establishing a more customer-oriented distri- bution department, in connection with the rollout of district heating in Køge, VEKS has hired several internal employees to manage the construction work. However, some external services and resources are also includ- ed in the project. A consultancy agreement and an agreement regarding the first significant contractor services have been en- tered. Later, there are additional contractor tasks to be offered. The new private customers can also purchase their district heat- ing installation on a subscription scheme that Køge Fjernvarme offers. This means that for a small, fixed monthly payment, the customer gets a district heating unit installed, owned, and ser- viced (and possibly replaced) by Køge Fjernvarme. The actual setting up of units is also offered to external contractors. Cooperation with the municipality Throughout the entire process - back from the groundbreak- ing in 2012 - VEKS/Køge Fjernvarme has closely collaborated with Køge municipality.
Establishing district heating for the 7,000 new customers has been a "master plan," which defines which areas in Køge the district heating will be rolled out first. This expansion plan is quite ambitious and requires constructive and open coopera- tion with Køge municipality. Where Køge Fjernvarme focuses on avoiding disappointed customers, the municipality wants to avoid dissatisfied citizens as far as possible. They have agreed on a close partnership, which is reflected in the organization around the project. A political monitoring group meets four times a year. Members of the municipality's climate and planning committee and interested parties from the finance committee meet with VEKS' director, distribution manager, and planning and project manager. If necessary, VEKS' chairman also participates in these meetings. In the po- litical follow-up group, the status of the district heating expan- sion is given. Regular orientation and coordination meetings are held be- tween representatives of the administration and Køge Fjern- varme - some monthly and others with a frequency of every 14 days. Along the way, there is also ongoing follow-up and briefing from Køge municipality on expansion areas and extensive new construction. New buildings must also be supplied with dis- trict heating. In addition to informing and providing a transparent picture of the project, the purpose of the close contact is to jointly han- dle the problems and obstacles that will invariably appear in a large construction project so early that they cause the least possible delay for the expansion and thus, ultimately for the customers. District heating novices As mentioned, the aim is to make it attractive to become a cus- tomer of Køge Fjernvarme and to ensure that the overall cus- tomer journey is as smooth and understandable as possible. Køge Fjernvarme's responsibility is to satisfy customers before, during, and after they become district heating customers. In short, customers should face as little hassle as possible. For industry professionals, it can be challenging to understand the often relatively poor knowledge of district heating. The fact is that many new customers are novices. District heating is not a plug-and-play solution that is installed overnight. Therefore, the employees in VEKS' distribution department must always
The aim is to make it attractive to become a customer of Køge Fjernvarme and to ensure that the overall customer journey is as smooth and understandable as possible.
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