The planned Building Energy Act could easily be defused. For example, there are considerations to postpone its application for older buildings.
Berlin – The Building Energy Act (GEG) is currently being discussed in the Bundestag and Bundesrat. How exactly it will come into force is still completely open in view of the debate in the two bodies. For example, the federal states want exemptions for all pensioners.
Heating law: Year of construction could be decisive when replacing heating systems
But apparently even owners of older properties can hope for a gallows period under certain circumstances. As the Welt am Sonntag claims to have learned, there were considerations on Thursday (1 June) at a meeting between Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) and representatives of the trades, the heating industry and the energy consulting industry that houses built before 1995 should not fall under the rules of the new heating law until 2025. This possible shift would thus apply to around 70 percent of the total building stock.
There are considerations to postpone the application of the Building Energy Act to older houses. © Agentur Kröger/imago
The background to this is that since the amendment of the Thermal Insulation Ordinance in 1995, the houses have been comparatively well insulated and are therefore in many cases already suitable for the installation of a heat pump. In these buildings, the rules for heat pump installation could be implemented as early as mid-2024, the panel said.
Building Energy Act not to come into force until summer
In addition, from the experts' point of view, it would also be advantageous if the new heating law did not come into force in the middle of the heating season on 1 January, but only in the summer. This is because most heating damage occurs in winter, where the new regulations would then have to be applied. This could pose very great challenges for craftsmen.
However, according to the Welt am Sonntag, these are only initial considerations. The extent to which these will be incorporated into the new law is still completely open.
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