Berlin The discussion about heat supply in cities and communities is entering the next round. The federal government’s construction and economics ministries want to avoid a fiasco like the one with the Building Energy Act (GEG). That’s why they presented a modified draft law on “municipal heat planning” this Friday to give states and associations a second opportunity to comment on the planned law.
Heat planning is closely linked to the GEG, which is to be passed after the summer break. Basically, this means that the obligations of the GEG should only apply to a heating replacement once the heat planning is available. The cabinet decision is scheduled for August 13th. The law is to be discussed in the Bundestag and Bundesrat in autumn. The goal is to graduate by the end of the year.
Municipal heating plans are important because they determine the potential for connecting buildings to heating networks. Homeowners who have the prospect of connecting to a heating network can save themselves the investment in an electric heat pump, for example. And then it is not the owners who have to ensure the conversion of the heat supply to renewable energies, but the operators of the heating networks.
“A comprehensive heat planning is an essential prerequisite on the way to a climate-neutral heat supply,” said Sören Bartol (SPD), Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Construction. “It provides planning and investment security, and it makes it easier to switch to the heat supply that suits the location best.”
Existing heating networks must be operated with 30 percent renewable energy, waste heat or a combination of both by 2030. In 2040 the rate will be 80 percent. By the end of 2044, the heat supply in Germany must be climate-neutral across the board.
This is what is currently planned:
1. Deadlines
Heat planning will be mandatory and introduced across the board for all cities and communities – even for the small ones. But these should take a little longer. Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants must submit a heat plan by June 30, 2026 at the latest. For everyone else, the deadline is June 30, 2028.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are 10,789 municipalities in Germany, 9,187 of which have fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. So far, there has only been local heat planning in Germany, for example in Baden-Württemberg.
2. Simplified procedure and preliminary examination
A simplified heat planning process is to be made possible for municipalities with up to 10,000 inhabitants, which was previously not planned. Neighboring municipalities can draw up joint heat plans for heat planning. Cross-border participation should also be possible. This applies to areas in Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony.
>> Read here: These costs are borne by the owner
Small municipalities can also use a so-called “preliminary check” to explain that, even without comprehensive heat planning, it is very likely that the heat will not be supplied via a heat network or a hydrogen network. It would then be clear that in these municipalities the conversion of the heat supply to renewable energies must be decentralized, i.e. in individual houses or districts.
3. Grandfathering of existing heat plans
If local authorities have already drawn up heat plans, these plans are grandfathered. This means: In these municipalities, too, the rules of the GEG only apply when the municipalities have to submit their heating plans according to federal law, i.e. by June 30, 2026 or June 30, 2028. An exception is if the municipality wants to press ahead itself. But that is a municipal decision.
4. Financial support for municipalities
The federal government is planning to financially support the municipalities in drawing up the heat plans. A participation of 50 percent in the planning costs is planned. For this purpose, a federal-state administrative agreement must be concluded.
5. Identification of hydrogen network areas
Newly planned: Municipalities can designate areas for the new construction or expansion of heating networks or hydrogen network areas. The prerequisite is that the planners show that the option has “comparatively low” costs per kilowatt hour, “a low implementation risk, a high degree of security of supply and low cumulative greenhouse gas emissions”. The law thus creates the basis for the use of hydrogen-based heating systems.
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