Heating in Germany should become more climate-friendly. Heat pumps should play an important role in this. The industry has invested and is calling on the government to boost sales.
Associations are calling for efforts to boost sales of heat pumps. Funding applications this year have plummeted. The Federal Heat Pump Association spoke out in favor of reducing electricity prices. A heat pump summit is taking place today at the Federal Ministry of Economics. No public statements are planned afterwards.
Kristina Haverkamp, Managing Director of the German Energy Agency, told the German Press Agency that the Bundestag’s adoption of the Building Energy Act was overdue. “It is important that various technologies can now be used to implement the law, with heat pumps playing a central role in getting the building sector on track in terms of climate policy. We now need planning security and reliability in funding, low-threshold advice options and, above all, quickly sufficient specialist staff.”
The heating debate of the past few months and the uncertainty about the funding rules that will apply from next year have caused demand for heat pumps to collapse, explained the Federal Heat Pump Association. In the first eight months of this year, applications for state funding fell by more than 70 percent compared to the same period last year.
The state covers up to 70 percent
A week and a half ago, the Bundestag passed a reform of the Building Energy Act, also known as the Heating Act. It aims to gradually replace oil and gas heating systems and thus make heating less harmful to the climate. From 2024 onwards, under certain conditions, the state will cover up to 70 percent of the costs of climate-friendly heating.
The heat pump industry has invested heavily in expanding production and training capacities and is in a position to install the agreed 500,000 heat pumps next year, said Martin Sabel, managing director of the federal association. However, if the federal government does not take any measures to counteract the reduced demand, its expansion goal will become a long way off.
Goal: Six million heat pumps by 2030
According to the forecast, sales of heat pumps are expected to increase to up to 350,000 units this year. This is a result of the very good demand from last year and the manufacturers’ expanded production capacities. Demand needs to be stimulated again. The federal government’s goal is six million heat pumps by 2030. According to the association’s forecast, there will be just over two million by the end of 2023.
The federal association called for the electricity tax to be reduced to the minimum under European law. After the heating debate, people need a clear sign that switching from gas and oil to heat pumps quickly pays off thanks to low operating costs. The association also demands that electricity used in heat pumps benefit from lower VAT. German Environmental Aid called for a “heat pump electricity tariff”.
Source: Stern
