The federal government wants to switch gently to heating with renewable energies.
The EU prefers a radical ban.
The new directive could render the German law irrelevant.
Frankfurt – Climate-neutral heating has long been a much-debated topic.
The German federal government recently passed a law that from 2024 should increasingly use renewable energies for heating.
A new EU directive is now intended to make this law void and at the same time mean the long-term end of oil and gas heating systems.
The Europe-wide regulation would mean a significantly faster and more radical change of heating system for consumers.
German law | EU law |
Building Energy Act | Ecodesign regulation for space heaters and combination heaters: |
Gentle transition to renewable energy, old heating systems will not be banned until 2045 | Faster changeover, no longer a replacement for old heating systems from 2025 |
More renewable energies from 2024: This is what the German federal government is planning for climate-neutral heating
The federal government recently introduced the new Building Energy Act (GEG).
According to information on the government's website, the law aims to ensure that by January 1, 2024, all newly installed heating will be powered by at least 65 percent renewable energy, requiring consumers to ditch oil and gas heating over the next few years.
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According to the new EU law, only heat pumps may soon be allowed.
© Robert Poorten/Imago (fr.de-Montage)
Anyone who still has an older heating system in their home does not have to have it removed immediately.
Instead, there should be generous transitional periods and exceptions.
Only from 2045 will heating systems that are still operated with heating oil, fossil fuels or fossil natural gas be banned.
That would then mean replacing heating systems in millions of households.
For this purpose, the funding for heating with renewable energies is to be reorganized.
Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) promises “accompanying support and tax measures” to ensure that the new regulations do not overwhelm anyone.
Radical bans on certain heaters from 2025: This is what the EU is planning for climate-neutral heating
New guidelines for climate-neutral heating, which the European Union is launching, would make the German law superfluous.
According to the EU, the ecodesign regulation for space heaters and combination heaters will come into force on September 1, 2025.
The draft law of the EU, which is available to
IPPEN.MEDIA
, contains the following three changes for consumers:
The drastic difference between the EU directive and the Building Energy Act lies in the repair of existing heating systems.
According to German law, existing old systems such as oil and gas heating systems may still be repaired in the longer term and parts replaced.
The EU directive would prohibit that.
So if an old boiler breaks down, it would have to be replaced with a new heating system such as a heat pump - a cost shock for consumers.
According to the Ecodesign Ordinance for room heaters and combination heaters, new heaters with an efficiency of less than 115 percent should no longer be allowed to be brought onto the market.
This means that if 100 percent of the energy is supplied, at least 115 percent of the usable heat must be produced before the heating system can be sold.
This regulation applies to oil boilers, gas boilers, pellet heating systems, log boilers and condensing boilers whose efficiency is below 115 and which can therefore no longer be sold from 2029.
This means that oil and gas heating systems are on the verge of extinction.
Exception: Hybrid heating systems should remain permitted for the time being.
In addition, the new devices must show consumption at all times and this data must be kept for two years, but would only be available to the end user.
After the end of fossil fuels, consumers are left with alternatives such as heat pumps, which can achieve an efficiency of up to 500 percent.
List of rubrics: © Robert Poorten/Imago (fr.de-Montage)