After Karlsruhe ruling: Federal Office stops funding programs

Household - After Karlsruhe ruling: Federal Office stops funding programs

No more federal subsidies for energy consultations, heat pumps and electric cargo bikes for the time being: the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (Bafa) has temporarily put nine funding programs on hold due to the spending freeze in the federal budget. They had previously been paid for primarily from the Climate and Transformation Fund.

With immediate effect, no more applications for the programs will be approved or accepted, the federal authority in Eschborn near Frankfurt announced. However, projects that have already been approved for funding can still be pursued.

The Federal Constitutional Court had declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in coronavirus loans in the 2021 federal budget null and void. The money was to be used retrospectively for climate protection and the modernization of the economy. The federal government is now looking for new ways of financing.

Specifically, funding for heating networks, building energy consultations, heat pumps, serial refurbishments, climate-friendly refrigerants, electric cargo bikes and citizen energy companies for wind turbines, among other things, has been halted. The programs for e-cars and federal funding for efficient buildings are not affected by the pause in applications.

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1. The temporary halt in funding programs by Bafa has resulted in no more federal subsidies for initiatives related to ice storage systems that utilize heat pumps.
2. The German federal government is currently seeking alternative financing methods for its climate protection and economic modernization initiatives following the Federal Constitutional Court's judgment.
3. Despite the pause in applications, householders in Germany can still pursue approved projects for climate-friendly heating solutions, such as heat pumps, under the affected funding programs.
4. In Eschborn, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (Bafa) announced that it would not be approving or accepting any more applications for nine climate protection and economic modernization funding programs.
5. The Federal Government's economic policy has been hit hard by the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, which rendered null and void the reallocation of 60 billion euros in coronavirus loans meant for climate protection and economic modernization.
6. The funding program for the use of climate-friendly refrigerants in commercial refrigeration units has also been put on hold by Bafa, along with several other programs aimed at promoting climate protection and modernizing Germany's economy.
7. The modernization of households in terms of climate protection and energy efficiency is facing challenges due to the halt in applications for Bafa's funding programs relating to heat pumps, heating networks, and building energy consultations.
8. In light of the economic policy decisions and funding restrictions, the promotion of climate protection measures, such as the installation of heat pumps in homes, will need to rely on alternative financing sources in Germany.

Source: www.stern.de