The Ministry of Economics wants to promote the replacement of oil and gas heating systems. However, a draft law from the Habeck department is causing a great deal of excitement. Finance Minister Lindner does not yet consider his colleague's plan to be finalized.
Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner opposes the planned ban on conventional heating systems. The draft had to be completely revised, said the head of the FDP in the "Bild" newspaper. "The draft was well-intentioned in terms of climate policy, but the echo is devastating economically and socially. The plans must therefore be returned to the assembly hall and fundamentally revised. A superficial repair will not be enough."
Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz said in the government survey on Wednesday that the last word on the matter had not yet been spoken. The joint draft with the Ministry of Economics still has to be coordinated in the government. "And of course I also assume that we will make further changes after the associations and countries have participated."
According to the draft, from 2024 every newly installed heating system should be operated on the basis of 65 percent renewable energies or district heating. This effectively means an end to the installation of conventional gas and oil heating systems. An operating ban for existing heating boilers with fossil fuels is to apply 30 years after installation. However, longer transition periods apply in some cases. The traffic light coalition committee agreed on the target of a 65 percent share from 2024 at the end of March 2022 and thus brought forward an agreement from the coalition agreement by one year.
Habeck had tried to put his draft law into perspective. When converting from oil and gas heating to climate-friendly heating systems, the aim is to avoid particular hardship for those affected. "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".
