SBit by bit, the traffic light coalition is giving out the details of the “heat transition”, which is forcing millions of worried households to take a critical look at their fossil fuel heating systems. Finally, three quarters heat with gas or oil. The SPD, Greens and FDP have promised to proceed pragmatically and not let anyone down in order to allay concerns.
But the compromise proposal by the Green Economics Minister, which became known on April 1, should give many people concerned the hope that it is a bad joke. Habeck’s pragmatism turns out to be a jumble of small-scale and apparently arbitrary exceptions to the basically unchanged rigid political requirement that new heating systems have to run on 65 percent renewable energy from next year.
In the Germany of the 21st century, among other things, the age of the heating system owner is to determine the degree of freedom with which he can secure a warm home. In earnest? Long live the heating bureaucracy. But those who like to separate waste as much as the Germans do may not spare any effort – and expense – for the heat transition. Because as far as the grants are concerned, the FDP finance minister is now dampening expectations. The possibilities are limited, said Lindner. The prices for heat pumps would certainly fall, competition would see to that.
True words. Unfortunately, by sticking to too short deadlines for replacing the heating system, the traffic light once again squanders the opportunity to let market forces work – and thus to make them usable for a financially and socially more compatible climate protection. The tighter the specifications, the more expensive the changeover and the greater the need for subsidies.
Lindner is therefore well advised to put the brakes on other wishes from partners, such as basic child security. The Greens have set up a bugbear here. Under the pretext of bundling transfers for families, they want to increase their benefits again. But there are better instruments to combat poverty than ever-increasing state aid.