Many are now installing oil or gas heating before a possible restriction or ban on their purchase.
When German Mike Biert chose a new heating system for his house, he was frightened by the high costs of installing a heat pump and decided to get a gas boiler.
Many others have also chosen heating methods in Germany that have been specifically advised to avoid. The installation of oil and gas heating is now on the rise before their purchase may be restricted or banned altogether.
In Germany, the government is preparing to approve the climate law, which environmentalists in particular have supported. A section is expected in the law according to which the renewable heating system must use at least 65% renewable energy. That would practically prevent many people from getting new oil and gas boilers.
Some of the details of the upcoming climate law are still unclear, and homeowners are worried.
“Fundamentally, I support saving energy. The problem is simply that you cannot and must not overload people with this,” says 46-year-old Biert, who lives in Königswinter in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
beer tells the results of his calculation, which made him abandon both the heat pump and hybrid solutions, such as the combination of heat pump and gas.
“The costs of such alternatives would have been between 40,000 and 100,000 euros. That would have meant taking out a loan for us, and we didn’t want to do that.”
After years of soaring demand for heat pumps has fallen in Germany this year.
“The recent public debate has caused a lot of uncertainty among consumers,” he characterized Björn Schreinermacher From the German Heat Pump Association for news agency AFP.
In contrast, according to him, the demand for oil and gas heating has now been “very, very strong”.
in Germany energy supply has caused big tensions in this decade anyway. The country made the decision to abandon nuclear power before the war in Ukraine prevented or at least reduced energy imports from Russia.
For example, the neighboring country of France relies heavily on nuclear power, and there Germany has been considered to have shot itself in the foot with its energy solutions.
The draft climate law recently sparked a fierce debate in Germany’s governing coalition. Critics said the high cost of installing new systems would especially cripple middle- and low-income economies.
As expected, the greens have defended and demanded renewable energy in the current German government. The government partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), has been fighting back the most.
Finally, in June, the federal chancellor was introduced in the parliament By Olaf Scholz a tailored compromise. According to it, the new regulations apply to existing buildings only if a municipal heating plan has been drawn up for the area.
The stricter rules were also supposed to come into force from 2024. The change presented by Scholz practically means that the earliest start year for most is 2028. However, the compromise still requires approval by the parliament.
Germany aims to be climate neutral by 2045.
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