Households are to be given more support than previously planned if they invest in climate-friendly heating. The deputy group leaders of the traffic light coalition agreed on this on Tuesday night. According to information from Süddeutsche Zeitung the federal government wants to reimburse up to 70 percent of the investment costs. In addition to a basic subsidy of 30 percent, this also includes a speed bonus of 20 percent for citizens who switch to a new heating system by 2028.
Low earners with a taxable annual income of up to 40,000 euros should also receive a 30 percent subsidy. The subsidies should be cumulative, but only up to a maximum of 70 percent. 30 percent of the costs have to be borne by the owners themselves. The coalition assumes that 45 percent of homeowners in Germany are below the income limit. This means that almost half of the citizens could benefit from the maximum funding.
The proposed exemption for homeowners over 80 has been scrapped
Modernization contribution: Tenants are also to be given more protection than previously planned. The traffic light coalition wants to cap the modernization levy to 50 cents per square meter if the heating system needs to be replaced. For an apartment with 90 square meters, this would correspond to a rent premium of 45 euros per month. However, this is offset by savings, because climate-friendly heating is usually cheaper than fossil-based heating. According to reports, the coalition is banking on the fact that the bottom line is that there will be more relief than burdens for tenants.
Exceptions for seniors: The plan to exempt homeowners over 80 from the obligations of the law, however, is off the table. However, there are not many obligations left anyway: As long as the municipalities have not submitted their own heat planning, new requirements only apply to new development areas – in which, however, hardly any conventional heating systems have been installed lately.
Heating with hydrogen: The new agreement also sets out more clearly the conditions under which hydrogen can be used as a solution. The original draft law required gas network operators to ensure that important gas networks were converted to hydrogen by 2035. The coalition has now agreed to gear the conversion more closely to climate goals. Municipalities and gas suppliers must now regulate the conversion with binding interim targets for 2035 and 2040. This must be approved by the Federal Network Agency, which should ensure that the climate targets are met.
The Bundestag is expected to pass the law next week
The coalition had been wrangling over the details of the heating law for months. The FDP in particular went too far with the first drafts. Just two weeks ago, the leaders of the coalition agreed on “guard rails” for the law. But they also left a lot of room for interpretation.
The nightly agreement now has to be put into text by the leading ministries for economics and construction. This should be done by Thursday. If that succeeds, a current draft law could be submitted to the Bundestag on Friday. He is to be the subject of hearings on Monday – and to pass Parliament on Thursday, one day before the start of the summer recess.