2023-06-27 10:35:38
The traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP has achieved a breakthrough in the heating law, as the FAZ learned on Tuesday from several parties in the traffic light group. At a meeting with the heads of the factions, outstanding issues were clarified. So far, the traffic light partners had only agreed on rough “guard rails” for changing the original draft law.
A spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that the agreement had been reached in the night during talks between the parliamentary group leaders and the parliamentary group deputies. SPD parliamentary secretary Katja Mast said that the Building Energy Act (GEG) could be passed before the summer break.
Details were initially unclear, they should not be presented until Thursday. The FDP parliamentary group says that it was important to them “that there will be no interference with property and that nobody will be obliged to expand their heating system.” This also applies if the municipal heating plan is available.
Lindner is optimistic
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. FDP leader Christian Lindner sees good chances for a decision in the coming week in the Bundestag. If the parliamentary groups agree to the agreement reached on Tuesday, he no longer sees any insurmountable hurdles, said Lindner on Tuesday before a meeting with his finance minister colleagues from Poland and France near Weimar. The decision goes in an “absolutely right direction”. Among other things, a viable agreement was reached in the area of funding. “The project can only benefit from this.”
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, these 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 option 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.
How are exemptions designed?
However, many points were still open – for example, 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.
Julia Löhr, Hendrik Kafsack, Christian Schubert and Klaus Max Smolka Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 74 Julia Löhr, Berlin Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 25 Jochen Buchsteiner Published/Updated: Recommendations: 219
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 “appropriate 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 being able to achieve climate goals. However, no functioning oil and gas heating systems should have to be replaced, and defective heating systems should also be allowed to be repaired.
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