SPD parliamentary group against restrictions on funding for pellet heating

DThe SPD parliamentary group is angry about plans by the Federal Ministry of Economics to only promote the switch to pellet heating systems if they are combined with a heat pump. “After we intensively and thoroughly discussed the heating law before the summer break, we now expect funding in accordance with the principles of this law,” said the three SPD parliamentary group vice-presidents Verena Hubertz, Achim Post and Matthias Miersch on Monday.

In particular, the changes that the coalition factions have made to ensure greater openness to technology should now result in equal support for these technologies. “Heating with wood and pellets, like all renewable energies, must be eligible for funding and must not be subject to restrictions and thus be disadvantaged,” warned Hubertz, Post and Miersch. The three SPD politicians emphasized that, as part of the involvement of the budget committee, they would work to ensure that the funding programs were designed accordingly.

The background to the criticism is that until the Heating Act was passed, there had been a fierce battle in the traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP as to which types of heating should be classified as environmentally friendly and therefore worthy of funding. Particularly in rural areas, heating with wood and pellets, which is classified as CO2-neutral, is more common and cheaper than buying a heat pump. The aim of the Building Energy Act is to make heating more climate-neutral.

Days ago, however, a number of associations had complained that the Ministry of Economic Affairs was not adhering to agreements in the draft funding guidelines and only wanted to promote wood heating in combination with solar thermal energy, photovoltaics or heat pumps. However, a necessary combination with a heat pump, for example, would increase the costs for a household enormously. Wood heating systems alone should therefore be eligible for funding. The FDP also spoke out in favor of greater openness to technology during the deliberations.