The heating law has been the subject of controversy for weeks. A draft of the Heat Planning Act was also recently controversial. Apparently, the traffic light has now reached an agreement.
According to the Ministry of Construction, the traffic light coalition has agreed in principle on a law for municipal heating plans.
The previously controversial draft will be sent to the federal states and associations for a hearing on Wednesday, a ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday evening. “The previous dispatch objection during the departmental vote has been lifted.” FDP-led ministries had previously reported concerns.
Now this draft, which is closely linked to the also controversial heating law, “can be discussed in a reasonable time”, according to the Ministry of Construction.
States and municipalities have an obligation
The Heat Planning Act obliges the federal states and local authorities: In the coming years, they should present concrete plans on how they want to convert their heating infrastructure to be climate-neutral. For large cities, these heat plans should be ready by the end of 2026, smaller cities should have two years longer. To this end, network operators and industrial companies, among others, are to provide data on energy sources and consumption.
The heating plans of the municipalities are intended to be an important orientation for citizens, because they will find out whether their house will soon be connected to a district or local heating network – or whether they should convert their heating to a heat pump in the foreseeable future.
Source: Stern
