Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Baden-Württemberg's Environment Minister Thekla Walker called for more constructive suggestions from the critics in the debate about a planned ban on new oil and gas heating systems. Everyone wanted climate protection. "But with every proposal, you always just scream 'doesn't work' and 'too expensive', that's revealing," said the Greens politician on Wednesday in Stuttgart. "And I would like to reply to all those who only warn about the costs of climate protection: climate change and the climate crisis cost much more."
On Tuesday, the "Bild" newspaper reported on a draft ban on the installation of new gas and oil heating systems from 2024. They will be replaced by systems that are operated with at least 65 percent renewable energy. The federal ministries of economics and construction are working on a corresponding law. Details are still open. In the coalition agreement, this was previously planned for January 1, 2025. The background are stronger efforts in the building sector for more climate protection.
In the southwest, the heat pump is already the most frequently installed heat source in newly built residential buildings (63 percent in 2020), according to the Ministry of the Environment in Stuttgart. Sales of heat pumps grew by around 50 percent in 2022. Switching is worthwhile because it is easy on the wallet and at the same time a step away from fossil dependence, emphasized Walker.
The exchange of heating is subsidized by the state. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) is aiming for such a high subsidy that even people with lower incomes are not prevented from renovating a house, installing a heat pump or removing a gas burner.
The SPD parliamentary group insists on taking hardship cases into account. There was strong criticism of the plans from the FDP, among others - the Association of Towns and Municipalities complained that the project was unrealistic. Baden-Württemberg's CDU faction leader Manuel Hagel is also strictly against the ban. That was a "completely useless suggestion," Hagel told the German Press Agency on Tuesday.
