Dhe federal government has agreed that at least 65 percent of newly installed heating systems must run on renewable energy from 2024 onwards. However, there should be exceptions in the new Building Energy Act (GEG), for example for people who are older than 80 years or if the innovation does not work structurally. Transitional periods and emergency rules are also planned.
In addition to the heat pump and district heating preferred by the Greens, other technical solutions are also permitted. In addition to the combustion of green hydrogen from green electricity, the blue variant from natural gas is also permitted, the CO₂ of which is stored. The traffic light also agreed on the Energy Efficiency Act.
Funding has yet to be agreed
These compromises were announced on Friday evening by Robert Habeck (Greens) from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. His original GEG draft was weakened: in the coalition committee, the FDP and SPD had recently insisted that the heat transition must be open to technology and affordable for the citizens. It is still unclear exactly what the funding will look like. It was said that this would be decided between Habeck’s house, Christian Lindner’s (FDP) Ministry of Finance and the SPD-led Chancellery.
There should be socially graded support from the climate and transformation fund. The amended draft is now being heard by the federal states and associations and should come to the cabinet on April 19 or 24. This is followed by deliberations in the Bundestag and adoption.
According to the draft, people over the age of 80 are exempt from the regulations, so they can still have new gas or oil heating systems installed in 2024 and beyond. However, if their house is sold or inherited, younger new owners must meet the 65 percent target within two years. Another exception is this: If an old heating system that is still running after 2024 breaks down, it cannot be replaced immediately with an eco-variant, but can be repaired and continue to run for another three years. If it fails again during this period, the deadline is extended.
Full replacement by 2045
If you install a new oil or gas plant in 2023, you can only operate it for a maximum of 22 years. All other existing users will then also have to prepare for a forced replacement: in 2045, if Germany wants to be CO2-neutral, all fossil-fuel heating systems will have to come from the basement.
However, Habeck’s idea that the general obligation to replace heating systems after 30 years will also apply to single and two-family houses in the future is off the table. Because this does not happen, boilers connected before 2015 can continue to run until a maximum of 2045.
High demands on new gas heaters
From 2024 onwards, gas heaters can only be installed if they are “hydrogen-ready”. In theory, it’s enough that they run two-thirds with it, but technically they have to be 100 percent suitable for it; there are still hardly any models that can cope with a mixture in such high proportions. A prerequisite for this “fulfillment option” is also a hydrogen network similar to the heating network. To do this, the network operators must submit transformation and investment plans for each area with the approval of the Federal Network Agency.