Economics Minister Habeck wants to replace oil and gas heating systems with non-fossil systems in the long term. There is resistance in the traffic light coalition. Now the Green politician puts his initiative into perspective.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck wants to avoid particular hardship for those affected when converting from oil and gas heating to climate-friendly heating systems. “If the old gas heating is still working, it can stay in. If it’s broken, you can repair it. If it can no longer be repaired, there are practicable interim solutions,” Habeck told the “Wirtschaftswoche”. But if something new is needed, “then one should no longer invest in old fossil systems”.
The minister assured that the citizens would not be left alone with the desired changeover. “There must and will be support for low-income and middle-income households,” explained Habeck. Anything that has been shown to save carbon dioxide and protect the climate should “also be tax-deductible”.
The background is a discussion about a draft law that provides for stricter rules for the installation of new heating systems from 2024. According to an agreement reached by the coalition in spring 2022, from 2024 every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energy. However, the details of the transition that are important for many owners and tenants have not yet been determined. In the second step, the draft law provides for a general installation ban for new oil and gas heating systems from 2045.
The FDP wants to prevent a possible ban on new gas and oil heating systems from 2024 at all costs. “It will not come to that either,” said the FDP parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Christian Dürr, the “Tagesspiegel”. He fears that the ban will further increase construction and rental costs. “I think blanket bans are wrong – instead we should remain open to technology and ensure that classic heating systems can also be operated in a climate-neutral manner in the future,” said Dürr.
