Almost 65000 applications for climate-friendly heating approved
Since the beginning of the year, around 65,000 funding applications for climate-friendly heating have been approved. This is according to a response from the Green-led Federal Ministry of Economics to the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which was made available to the news agency Reuters on Tuesday. This is the current status as of July 28. No figures on the funding volume were provided.
For this year, €16.7 billion is earmarked in the Climate Fund KTF for the Federal Efficiency Buildings (BEG) program, which, for example, promotes the exchange of windows or heating systems.
According to the Union's small request, the traffic light government of SPD, Greens, and FDP attributes only a "secondary role" to the use of hydrogen in decentralized heat generation. "However, the use of hydrogen boilers or hydrogen CHP plants in buildings that are not connected to a heat network and where heat pumps cannot be operated efficiently can be a necessary technology option if there are already large hydrogen consumers in the neighborhood and an adequate hydrogen supply is available at low prices."
A second national heat summit is planned by the Ministry of Economics, following the first meeting in June 2023. The regulation on the supply of district heating is also to be revised. "The draft of the amendment includes in particular regulations to strengthen consumer rights and transparency, to stabilize the economic framework for efficient expansion and decarbonization of heat networks, and to adapt to the advancing digitization." The cabinet should give the green light for this as soon as possible in August. The measures are then to come into force in the second half of the year. Around 15 percent of households and many industrial companies in Germany are connected to the existing district heating network.
Since the beginning of the year, the number of approved funding applications for climate-friendly heating has significantly increased. Since the cabinet plans to give the green light for revising the district heating regulation in August, changes to strengthen consumer rights and transparency are anticipated.
