Concession to the construction industry
Habeck is putting stricter new building standards on hold
September 25, 2023, 3:43 a.m
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The federal government is accommodating the ailing construction industry: the planned tightening of climate protection requirements for new buildings is off the table for now, says Economics Minister Habeck. The new standard is unlikely to come until the end of 2025.
Before the housing summit in the Chancellery, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck is moving away from planned climate protection requirements for more insulation in new houses. “The introduction of the Building Energy Act ensures that new buildings will have climate-friendly heating from 2024. That’s why I no longer think it is necessary to quickly introduce the new EH 40 standard,” said the Green politician, who is also climate protection minister, to the news agency Reuters. “That can wait, it doesn’t make much sense given the EU Buildings Directive. That’s why I no longer see this new standard in this legislative period.” The plans that have been repeatedly criticized by the construction industry will probably not come until the end of 2025.
As “Spiegel” reports, the federal government has decided on a package of measures to stimulate the struggling construction industry. “In view of the current difficult conditions in the construction and housing industry due to high interest rates and construction costs, the anchoring of EH 40 as a binding statutory new building standard is no longer necessary in this legislative period and will be suspended,” says the paper available to the magazine.
Construction experts argue that even stricter requirements for the insulation of new buildings would be very expensive, but without ensuring significantly more climate protection. Habeck said that it is now a matter of paying more attention to building materials so that they are as climate-friendly as possible. “In the amendment to public procurement law planned for 2024, we will therefore ensure that sustainability criteria are implemented in a less bureaucratic, simpler and therefore better way.”
With the EH-40 standard, new buildings only need 40 percent of the primary energy compared to a standard comparison building. This is not being implemented now. This means that the efficiency house standard EH 55 remains, which is currently the de facto standard for new buildings due to government funding. “Compared to the statutory new building standard, the KfW 55 house is 45 percent more economical,” says the state development bank KfW on its homepage.
Geywitz announced resistance
Because of the current crisis in the construction industry, Construction Minister Klara Geywitz from the SPD had already questioned the tightening of energy standards. EH 40 should actually be mandatory from the beginning of 2025. The departure from this is a concession to the construction industry, whose situation had recently deteriorated. In the first half of 2023, building permits fell by a good 27 percent. Construction prices rose by almost nine percent in the second quarter compared to the previous year. Project developers in particular have their backs to the wall and, in many cases, are fighting for survival.
The federal government had recently introduced better depreciation options. In the real estate industry it was said at the weekend that the income limit should be increased from 60,000 to probably 80,000 euros when promoting home ownership for families. The industry criticized that overall there were only small-scale aid measures from the government.
Habeck confirmed that high interest rates and inflation are putting a heavy burden on the industry. “Orders are collapsing and for many families the dream of owning their own house is in danger of being dashed. All of this in a phase in which living space is scarce and expensive.” That’s why the focus must be on affordable housing. “It is just as important to provide targeted stimulus for the construction industry, for example by creating tax incentives to bring investments forward. Targeted renovation incentives are also necessary and will come. This can boost the construction industry and save space and energy costs in existing buildings.” According to Habeck, rapid investments should be rewarded. “Waiting for a long time is less worthwhile.”