energy
The heating industry is promoting modernization right now
A Vaillant employee installs a heat pump at the company’s main plant in Remscheid. Photo: Roberto Pfeil/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Every second apartment in Germany is heated with gas. In the debate about security of supply, the heating industry is promoting a broad wave of modernization. It is also about the energy transition.
In the discussion about dependence on Russian natural gas, the German heating industry sees various options for private gas customers to permanently reduce or convert their own requirements.
“To date, according to the gas industry, there has been no supply problem,” said the general manager of the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry, Markus Staudt, of the German Press Agency. The problem is currently the rise in the price of natural gas. But other energy sources such as oil or electricity have also become more expensive.
“Are we still waiting?”
The rising prices in other areas did not leave consumers unaffected. “We’re getting feedback from the market that people have more questions and think: ‘Are we still waiting?’ or say: “I don’t know exactly”», said Staudt. It is therefore necessary to observe whether this could lead to a reluctance to buy and whether important savings potentials remain untapped. The modernization of the existing heating system in Germany has only just started after decades of investment backlog.
“In the last two years, the German market has shown significant growth for the first time in over 20 years,” said Staudt. According to data from the association, almost 930,000 new heat generators were installed for the first time in 2021, instead of the long-term average of 600,000 to 700,000 new heat generators per year. That is 10 percent more new devices for space heating and hot water sold in Germany than in the previous year. The state subsidy on the subject of heat, which has been expanded since 2020, has made a significant contribution to this.
Energetic standards also important
According to association data, sales of wood-fired central heating systems with pellets grew the most in percentage terms last year (plus 51 percent to 53,000 units). Demand for heat pumps continued to rise (plus 28 percent to 154,000 units). According to the association, gas condensing boilers with 650,000 new devices, which were generally bought and installed without state subsidies, accounted for by far the largest share in the modernization of the heating system.
In addition to simply replacing old with new, the combination of gas heating with a heat pump is gaining in importance. If it is particularly cold, the gas boiler switches on, explained the general manager. For a complete switch from gas to heat pumps, the building should meet a certain energy standard. «Technically, I can install a heat pump in almost any building. The question is then always whether it makes economic sense,” says Staudt.
The heat pump is definitely worthwhile in new buildings. The combination of gas and wood heating is also increasing. This also applies to photovoltaic systems in combination with electricity storage and heat pumps as well as to ventilation systems with heat recovery. The savings potential through digitization based on energy management systems is still underestimated.
H2-ready gas devices for hydrogen use
“Firstly, I can heat more efficiently and use less. Secondly, I can use alternatives to fossil gas,” emphasized Staudt. He considers the use of significantly more biogas to be possible. “Today you can heat any gas heater with 100 percent biogas,” said the association representative. So far, biogas has mostly been converted into electricity or used by mineral oil companies for their own eco-balance. As with green electricity, it is about feeding a quantity into the overall grid that replaces a corresponding amount of natural gas in the overall balance.
The heat market could also help hydrogen achieve a breakthrough. The heating industry offers H2-ready gas devices that are suitable for a possible increased use of hydrogen. According to Staudt, politicians are currently still ignoring this potential for a “market ramp-up” for hydrogen, which is needed in many sectors.
The goal of the traffic light coalition, from 2025 every newly installed heating should be operated on the basis of 65 percent renewable energies, depending on the design, represents an enormous challenge for consumers, trade and industry Staudt emphasized that all technological solutions based on a broad energy mix are required.
At a conference in Berlin on Wednesday, representatives of the heating industry, trades and wholesalers want to discuss with representatives of federal politics and experts how the energy transition in the heating sector can succeed.