En the heatwave this summer, the Germans had only one thing in mind: not to shiver at home this winter. Eyes riveted on the gas tap subject to the goodwill of Vladimir Putin, distressed by the announced increase in their heating bill, they rushed to the fireplaces and wood stoves.
While specialty stores normally record their first sales in September, this year the order books were already full to bursting in July. Stocks, taken by storm, are empty and not filled. In their showrooms, suppliers stuck little “sold” tags on their stoves and fireplaces. Faced with this record demand, they are struggling to cope. Delivery times are currently one year on average. If you order your indoor stove in July, it won’t be delivered until a year later, just in time for next year’s winter.
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“With the start of the war in Ukraine, demand exploded, confirms a spokesperson for ZVSHK, the association that oversees sanitary-heating-air conditioning suppliers. The dramatic rise in gas prices and the fear of shortages have only exacerbated these fears. The Germans are turning to other more reliable and less expensive solutions. Germany has 2,000 manufacturers of wood-burning stoves and indoor fireplaces.
The struggling firewood
But those lucky enough to get their hands on a fireplace shouldn’t rejoice too soon. They are not at the end of their troubles: there is also a lack of firewood. The Germans, who at the start of the pandemic were hoarding toilet paper and flour, are now rushing to wood. Strong demand has led to a shortage and a price explosion: the average price has almost doubled since January 2021, from 238 euros to 431 euros per tonne in June this year.
Despite everything, the price of heating with wood per kilowatt hour remains significantly lower than that of heating with oil or gas. The rush for wood obviously poses a problem for environmentalists who have been fighting for years to improve air quality in large cities and avoid deforestation.
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Public buildings under dry conditions
To free itself from the grip of Vladimir Putin, save energy and reduce the explosion of costs, the government has just decided that from September the temperature in public buildings must not exceed 19 degrees ( instead of 20 degrees at present). Corridors, entrance halls and technical rooms will no longer be heated at all. This measure should initially be valid for six months.
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The government recommends that it be extended to industry and private households. “We are going to have to face a national effort which requires the collaboration of the State, industry and civil society as a whole, declared without mincing his words the Green Robert Habeck, Minister of the Economy. Every effort counts. »