What type of heating should it be? The decision is difficult.
Image: Rosa Burczyk
Heat pump, district heating or gas heating again? The debate about the Building Energy Act has unsettled many property owners. A lot depends on the funding level. And how energy prices develop.
This Friday, the Bundestag will most likely pass a law that will have financial consequences for millions of citizens. The amendment to the Building Energy Act formally comes into force on January 1, 2024; in new development areas, the stricter rules for installing new heating apply immediately. By mid-2028 at the latest, when all municipalities are supposed to have drawn up their heat plans, the obligation to use at least 65 percent renewable energy when installing new heating must also be observed in existing buildings. Whether the requirement is met with a heat pump, district heating, wood or green gases is up to the homeowners to decide.
Julia Löhr
Economic correspondent in Berlin.
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The FDP in particular is proud that the amendment to the law now opens up more options for owners than the first draft from Robert Habeck’s (Greens) Ministry of Economic Affairs provided for. For homeowners, this also means that you have to weigh things up carefully. On the one hand, whether they replace their heating system now in order to benefit from the funding bonuses promised by the coalition, or whether they wait until the old heating system is broken beyond repair. On the other hand, they have to estimate which type of green heating will be the cheapest in their town and house in the future.