In mid-June, the parliamentary group leaders Katharina Dröge (Greens), Christian Dürr (FDP, left) and Rolf Mützenich (SPD) announced the first agreement.
(Photo: IMAGO/Political Moments)
Berlin The traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP has achieved a breakthrough in the heating law. At a meeting with the leaders of the parliamentary group, open points were clarified, as the German Press Agency learned from coalition circles on Tuesday. So far, the traffic light partners had only agreed on rough “guard rails” for changing the original draft law.
Details were initially unclear. The bill is now to be amended accordingly.
The traffic light is aiming for the building energy law to be passed by the Bundestag before the summer recess, which begins after July 7th. In the coming week there will be another expert hearing in the Bundestag’s climate and energy committee. The Bundestag could then finally vote on the changed draft between July 5th and 7th.
In mid-June, a top group of SPD, Greens and FDP agreed on changes, so-called “guard rails”, to the draft law passed by the cabinet.
In essence, the “guard rails” provide more time for many homeowners when replacing the heating system. The Building Energy Act is to be linked to a law on municipal heating planning. The principle should apply: First, there must be a municipal heating plan. Otherwise, owners will not have all the information they need to choose the most favorable heating variant for them, i.e. whether they have the option of connecting their house to a district or local heating network, for example.
The state must first deliver, emphasized the FDP in particular. Mandatory municipal heating planning is aimed for by 2028 at the latest. The FDP had previously called for fundamental improvements and insisted on openness to technology.
Many details are still unclear
However, many points were still open, such as what the planned state subsidy would look like and how the exception rules for heating replacement would be designed. According to the “guard rails”, there should also be another modernization levy that landlords can use to pass costs on to tenants. Details were still open.
So far, it has also been unclear what happens if someone now installs a gas heating system that can generally be converted to hydrogen, but their municipality later does not plan a suitable gas network at all. The coalition leaders had only stipulated that “reasonable transitional periods for switching to the new technology” should then apply.
The draft law passed by the cabinet stipulated that from 2024 onwards every newly installed heating system should be operated with at least 65 percent green energy. This is intended to decisively advance the heat transition in the building sector as a contribution to achieving climate targets. However, no functioning oil and gas heating systems should have to be replaced, and defective heating systems should also be allowed to be repaired.
More: The economy is satisfied with the compromise on the heating law