New heating subsidies, less co-payment at the pharmacy and more transparency at the meat counter: some new rules will come into force in February that will impact consumers’ everyday lives.
February brings new things for consumers – in the supermarket, on the Internet or even when going to jail for unpaid fines. The changes at a glance.
Start of the new heating subsidy
The new KfW funding for heating replacement starts in February. According to the development bank, interested parties can probably register in the customer portal “My KfW.de” from February 1st. From February 27th, homeowners should be able to submit their applications for subsidies here. The prerequisite is a concluded contract with a specialist company for the heating replacement. The federal government subsidizes the installation of climate-friendly heating with up to 70 percent of the costs. There are also low-interest KfW development loans.
More transparency at the meat counter
Anyone who buys meat at the counter in the supermarket, in the butcher’s shop or at the weekly market gets more transparency about the origin of the meat. Because: From February 1st, even unpackaged, unprocessed pork, sheep, goat and poultry meat must state where the goods come from. Previously, this only applied to unpackaged beef and generally to packaged meat. It must be stated where the animals were raised and where they were slaughtered.
Less co-payment for medication
In certain cases, customers will have to pay less at the pharmacy in the future. From February 1st, the additional payment for prescription medications will no longer be due per pack but rather per total quantity. This means: If the doctor has written down 100 tablets, but only packs of 25 are available in the pharmacy, the additional payment only has to be paid once instead of four times, even if you buy the small packs.
Advertising on Amazon Prime
From February 5th, the streaming service Amazon Prime will show its customers additional advertising. Subscribers who don’t want this will have to pay an extra 2.99 euros per month in the future. Stiftung Warentest considers the introduction of advertising without the consent of subscribers to be illegal and has created a sample letter for anyone who wants to defend themselves.
Stricter rules on the Internet
The Digital Services Act (DSA) already requires major online platforms to protect their users from illegal content, products and services and to take action against illegal activities. From February 17th, the Digital Services Act also applies to smaller website operators. Among other things, the rules make it easier for users to report illegal content. If online providers do not adhere to the DSA, users can complain to the Federal Network Agency.
Shorter time in prison
Anyone who absolutely fails to pay a fine must go to prison. These so-called substitute prison sentences will be shorter in the future. This means that only half of the unpaid daily rates have to be served. Until now, the number of days behind bars corresponds to the number of daily sentences to which someone was sentenced.
Feed-in tariff for photovoltaics
According to the consumer advice center, the feed-in tariff for new photovoltaic systems will be slightly reduced on February 1st, but only by around 1 percent. For systems with self-supply up to 10 kWp there are 8.11 cents per kilowatt hour and for larger systems 7.03 cents. With full feed-in, the rates are 12.9 cents and 10.8 cents per kilowatt hour, respectively.
Bundestag election repeat in Berlin
There will actually be a federal election on February 11th. However, only in parts of Berlin, where the election will have to be repeated in 2021 due to glitches in voting. Around 590,000 Berliners in 455 voting districts are called upon to cast their votes. The affected districts can be looked up, but those eligible to vote should also have received a letter.
Attention, leap year
If you don’t have it on your radar: 2024 is a leap year. February therefore lasts one day longer until February 29th.
Sources: DPA / KfW / Consumer Center / Stiftung Warentest
Source: Stern
