The heating law was a test for the traffic light coalition. Now there is the green light for the new regulation. If approved by the Bundestag, it can come into force at the beginning of 2024.
The long-controversial heating law is coming. The Federal Council dealt with the so-called Building Energy Act (GEG) on Friday; a motion for a resolution by Bavaria to appeal to the Mediation Committee did not find a majority in the state chamber. This means that nothing stands in the way of the new rules for replacing heating systems coming into force on January 1, 2024.
The GEG sets the future roadmap for climate-friendly heating. In the future, newly installed systems must be powered by at least 65 percent renewable energy. Classic oil and gas heating systems generally cannot achieve this.
Heating law is intended to promote more climate protection in buildings
From January onwards, the rules will initially only apply to new buildings in new development areas. For all other buildings, the municipalities should first submit a heat plan and the installation of fossil heating systems will therefore remain possible for some time in many cases. However, the law on municipal heat planning and the accompanying new rules for state funding for heating replacement have not yet been finalized.
Brandenburg’s Infrastructure Minister Guido Beermann (CDU) therefore accused the federal government of “simply failing to follow the steps”. “We have just discussed the law on municipal heat planning in its first round here today,” he said in the Federal Council. The entire GEG process is “a sad low point” in German legislation.
The GEG was passed by the federal cabinet after months of dispute within the traffic light coalition, but was then largely changed again in the parliamentary process. The attempt to stick to the schedule despite everything then failed at the Federal Constitutional Court, which, at the request of the opposition, demanded more time for parliamentary deliberations.
Energy prices
These tricks help you save on heating costs – and they cost (almost) nothing
Business welcomes the Federal Council’s decision
The Bavarian State Chancellery Minister Florian Herrmann (CSU) sharply criticized the GEG’s content: “It is socially unfair, it is not practical and its climate policy added value, i.e. the actual core of the law, cannot be quantified.” He called for the law to be “showed the red card for the time being” by appealing to the mediation committee, but this call failed.
There was support for the Federal Council’s decision from business. The state chamber gives companies “the urgently needed planning security,” explained Frank Ernst, managing director of the Federal Industry Association for Technical Building Equipment. “After months of intensive political and media discussions, the amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG) can now hopefully come into force on January 1, 2024.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
