According to Minister of the Environment Schneider, climate-friendly heating systems must continue to be promoted. The Building Energy Law will “in principle” remain the same, the SPD politician said Report from Berlin. Things sound different in the coalition agreement.
According to Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, state financial support for climate-friendly heating replacement should continue. The federal government supports this with twelve billion euros on a social scale: “You can get subsidies of up to 70 percent if you have little income, and we will maintain it,” promises the SPD politician Report from Berlin That ARD.
“You can look at it from that perspective that depoliticization is good,” Schneider said. “Incentives to invest in sustainable technologies are working well.” The Minister for the Environment referred to the increasing number of heat pumps being installed; Recently, more have been installed than gas heaters.
The principle will remain like that
Regarding the controversial heating law, the black-red coalition actually plans to make a new start; the coalition agreement even mentions “eliminating” it. The CDU and CSU have pushed for this.
“There will be amendments, but in principle it will remain as it is,” Schneider said, referring to the CO2 savings goal. Germany is bound by national and European law, and this is also a smart move. Emissions trading makes fossil fuels such as gas and petrol increasingly expensive. However, environmentally friendly technologies such as heat pumps will become cheaper.
Schneider warned that Germany is lagging behind its climate targets in the heating and transport sectors. Because this coalition is united in the goal of making the country climate neutral by 2045, it must now make it happen. “And that’s part of the delivery.”
Climate neutrality means no more greenhouse gases are released or recaptured.
What is currently regulated by heating legislation
The Building Energy Act (GEG) – its official name – comes into force in its current form at the beginning of 2024. Its aim is to further protect the climate in the building sector through the gradual replacement of oil and gas heating systems. A functioning heater can continue to operate.
The law stipulates that any newly installed heating system must be operated on 65 percent renewable energy. However, this only applies to new development areas for now. Urban thermal planning plays an important role for existing buildings. It should be available in cities with more than 100,000 residents from mid-2026 and for other cities from mid-2028.
