Schwerin (dpa / mv) - Contrary to previous plans, homeowners in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania cannot count on additional financial aid from the state for heating modernization. Instead, the state government decided to promote small solar systems on balconies in order to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs for people, especially tenants, said Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) on Thursday in the Schwerin state parliament. The program, which is endowed with ten million euros and started on Tuesday, is off to a very good start.
In addition, the replacement of gas and oil heating systems, for example with heat pumps or solar thermal and biomass systems, is already subsidized by the federal government with up to 40 percent. Double funding is not permitted, said Backhaus.
The Green MP Hannes Damm, who had initiated the debate with a motion on the subject, contradicted this. The current regulation allows the state to increase funding to 60 percent. Damm strongly criticized the state government's approach of not implementing a state parliament resolution to support the heating conversion.
In May, parliament passed a motion submitted by the governing parties SPD and Linke for greater energy sovereignty in the country. It says: "The ten million euros already planned in the 9-point package of the state government of March 30 for the conversion of old heating systems to renewable energies also help to reduce fossil energy requirements in the heating sector." This should not be understood as a recommendation, but as a clear order, said Damm.
According to Environment Minister Backhaus, more than half of the almost 900,000 apartments in the state are heated with gas-fired heating systems, 14 percent use oil. The goal of the state government is to cover the entire energy requirement of the state, including heating and mobility, from renewable sources such as sun and wind by 2035.
