Mhe compromise of the traffic light coalition on the long-controversial building energy law means the end of oil and gas heating in Germany. However, there will be an end in installments because there should be transitional and exceptional regulations. And the market will regulate it a bit, according to the calculations of the federal government.
What can homeowners do in general?
Homeowners have one less thing to worry about: the originally planned replacement obligation for functioning oil and gas heating systems is off the table. These can continue to be operated after January 1, 2024 and can also be repaired if they fail. In general, however, anyone who has a heating system installed after this deadline must ensure that at least 65 percent of it is operated with renewable energies. This applies to new buildings as well as to older houses.
And if a heater breaks down after 2024?
In the event of an accident, i.e. if an old oil or gas heating system can no longer be repaired, homeowners should not be left out in the cold for weeks because heat pumps cannot be delivered at short notice. You can therefore install an oil or gas burner again, which is usually much quicker. However, this heating must later be ecologically retrofitted in order to meet the 65 percent requirement. There is a period of three years for this. It would be possible, for example, to supplement the conventional gas heating with a heat pump. This would then be the primary heating, gas would only be used as a supplement.
Does it have to be a heat pump in the future?
No. The ministries involved – economy, construction, finance – emphasize that there is an openness to technology. It is also possible, for example, to use solar thermal energy or to install a hybrid system of heat pump and gas heating, in which the heat pump covers the basic supply and the gas heating takes over on cold days. Other variants are also possible, such as direct electricity heating, the use of biomass or connection to a heating network.
Is hydrogen an alternative?
Heating with hydrogen is unlikely to be attractive for most homeowners, if only because of the current high acquisition costs. So-called H2-ready gas heaters, which can be completely converted to hydrogen, may be installed according to the draft law. Prerequisite: There must be a binding investment and transformation plan for hydrogen networks and the heating systems must be operated with at least 50 percent biomethane by 2030 and with at least 65 percent hydrogen by 2036 at the latest. Experts warn, however, that H2-Ready heaters for the combustion of pure hydrogen would still have to be converted at great expense.
Is it worth installing a new gas heating system now?
Anyone who wants to stick to oil and gas for heating at all costs could come up with the idea of having a new burner installed before January 1st next year. This is possible according to the draft of the Building Energy Act. But: The rising CO2 price in the building sector should quickly make heating with only fossil fuels very expensive. And: On December 31, 2044, heating exclusively with oil and gas will definitely come to an end anyway.
What exception rules are there?
Anyone who is still living in their own little house in old age can calculate that investing in environmentally friendly heating hardly pays off. Not to mention the effort involved in remodeling, especially in older houses. The traffic light coalition has stipulated that owners who are over 80 years old are not obliged to switch to renewables. If your previous oil or gas heating system breaks down, it can be replaced with one of the same type. But: If the house is inherited or sold, the new law applies – albeit with a transitional period of two years. There are also hardship rules for low-income households.
What about the promised funding?
The traffic light promises to provide financial support for switching to climate-friendly heating so as not to overwhelm anyone and to provide incentives for voluntary conversion. The details, in particular the amount of the funding, are not yet known. From circles in the Federal Ministry of Finance it is said that there will be a kind of scrapping premium for old heating systems, which is graded according to the age of the systems to be replaced.