There has been debate about this for a long time, now the heating law is to be passed by the Bundestag. The Union again criticized the planned regulation, which is intended to make the building sector more climate-friendly.
After a long struggle, the controversial so-called heating law is up for a vote in the Bundestag today. It is expected that it will be decided with the majority of the traffic light coalition. A discussion of around one and a half hours is scheduled in advance. Afterwards, the Building Energy Act (GEG) will be voted on in particular.
The law is intended to stipulate the phase-out of gas and oil in the building sector. The plan is for every newly installed heating system to be powered by at least 65 percent renewable energy from January 2024. The regulation should initially only apply to new buildings. Existing heating systems should continue to run and can also be repaired. The federal government emphasized that there is no immediate obligation to replace existing heating systems. Under certain conditions, the state will cover up to 70 percent of the costs for a new heating system.
planning security guarantee
The pivotal point for existing heating systems should be mandatory and comprehensive municipal heating planning. Only when this is available will the requirements of the law for heating with at least 65 percent renewable energy also apply to existing buildings. Homeowners can then decide what to do. If there are no heat plans yet, cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants should have until mid-2026 to develop their heat plans, according to the draft heat planning law. All other municipalities that do not yet have plans should submit them by June 30, 2028.
Such a municipal heating plan should, for example, show whether there is or will be a climate-friendly district heating supply to which a building can be connected. According to the federal government, this should provide “planning and investment security”.
Months of dispute
There was a heated debate in the federal government about the heating law. Under pressure, especially from the FDP, fundamental changes were made. The Ministry of Economic Affairs recently presented a new calculation for CO2 savings. Accordingly, the climate protection effect of the law will be less than expected. The reason is the changes in parliamentary procedure. It is assumed that with the new version around three quarters of the actually planned greenhouse gas reduction will be possible by 2030 – “maybe a little more, maybe less”. This new estimate is based on a calculation by the Öko-Institut.
Before the summer break, the opposition tried to delay the decision on the law with a motion. In fact, the Federal Constitutional Court had banned its adoption in an urgent procedure. It had doubts as to whether the rights of members of the Bundestag were sufficiently protected. CDU MP Thomas Heilmann submitted the application for an interim order because of the tight schedule in the legislative process. The coalition then decided that the law should be passed in the Bundestag after the summer break in early September.
The Union faction now criticized the project again. “The fact is that the GEG with its excessive regulations is making building and living even more expensive,” said deputy parliamentary group leader Ulrich Lange to the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. This cannot be used in times of high inflation and high building interest rates. The law acts as a “fire accelerant”.
After the Bundestag resolution, the law goes to the Bundesrat. The law could then pass the state chamber at the end of September.