This week the building energy law should be discussed in parliament. But it does not appear on the agenda of the Bundestag session even after a meeting of the parliamentary group leaders. Can the law be passed before the summer break?
The law on replacing old oil and gas heating systems continues to cause disputes in the traffic light coalition. For the time being, the parliamentary secretaries did not put the law on the agenda of this week’s Bundestag session. As the dpa news agency learned from faction circles, it could still be submitted later.
With the amendment to the Building Energy Act, the so-called Heating Act, the federal government wants to ensure more climate protection when heating. From 2024, every newly installed heating system should be operated with at least 65 percent renewable energy.
Numerous changes to the design are planned
However, the details of the law are highly controversial. It is already clear that extensive changes are to be made to the draft in the Bundestag before a decision is made. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) recently proposed several adjustments.
For example, the obligation to install climate-friendly heating in 2024 could initially apply to new buildings. Existing buildings can be given more time. In addition, transition periods could be better synchronized with the expansion of municipal heating networks. It is already planned that there will be more time for the heating replacement if the house is connected to a district heating network in the foreseeable future.
Chancellor is optimistic
If the law is not on the agenda this week, it will probably not be possible to pass it before the start of the summer break on July 7 without shortening the deadline and holding special sessions. The coalition partners had actually promised each other in the coalition committee and that is still the declared goal of the SPD and the Greens. This would only be possible with an accelerated procedure.
On Tuesday morning, FDP politicians again expressed skepticism about the amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG) and cast doubt on the timetable. “I don’t think the debate as to whether everything will be decided on July 7th or maybe in September or October is not decisive,” said the FDP economic politician Reinhard Houben on Deutschlandfunk.
During a visit to a kindergarten in Potsdam, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) remained optimistic about the talks within the coalition on Tuesday morning: “It’s nice and warm here, so I’m confident about the heating issue,” said Scholz according to dpa.