2023-06-12 19:53:55
DThe supply of district heating is to be expanded significantly. Around 6.1 million apartments or 14.2 percent of all German residential units are currently supplied with district heating. 20 percent of district heating comes from renewable energies. Politicians and business want to ensure that the number of connections will triple to more than 18 million by 2045. In the medium term, 100,000 new buildings are to be connected to the heating network every year. In 2030, 50 percent of district heating is to be provided from renewable sources. 15 years later, when Germany wants to be greenhouse gas neutral, 100 percent are planned. These are the main results of the “district heating summit” on Monday, at which the Federal Ministers for Construction, Klara Geywitz (SPD), and for Economics, Robert Habeck (Greens), met with 30 industry representatives. Habeck spoke of a “strong signal” and a “broad alliance for more speed in the expansion and conversion of the heating networks”. These are a particularly cost-efficient, climate-neutral solution.
The district heating offensive is closely related to the controversial heating law by Habeck and Geywitz, the amendment to the Building Energy Law (GEG). According to the draft adopted by the cabinet in April, connection to a local or district heating network is an option to meet the requirement of 65 percent renewable energies when installing a new heating system, i.e. an alternative to the electricity-driven heat pump. With this type of heating, the heat is transported from power plants to the houses via pipe systems with hot water. Homeowners should be allowed to temporarily install fossil fuel heating again where there is no district heating line yet, but the municipality has already planned the expansion of the network. It is also about strengthening price transparency and consumer protection.
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