Energy - Industry faces record sales of new gas heating systems
This year, and therefore before the start of the new heating law, many homeowners have bought a new gas heating system.
The protracted and public debate surrounding the Building Energy Act (GEG) has resulted in a pull-forward effect, Ralf Kiryk, Head of Department at the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry, told the German Press Agency. "For the most part, people have quickly invested in gas heating to avoid the requirements of the GEG."
Great uncertainty among homeowners
A months-long debate about the new Building Energy Act, the so-called Heating Act, with the obligation to install climate-friendly heating systems, had caused great uncertainty among many homeowners. After a long struggle, the traffic light coalition then agreed on a compromise. The obligation for every newly installed heating system to be powered by 65% renewable energy from 2024 onwards will initially apply to new builds from January. There are longer transitional periods for existing buildings.
As the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry announced on request, the heating industry is heading for a record year in 2023. In its forecast for 2023 as a whole, the association expects around 1.3 million heating systems to be sold in Germany. By the end of October 2023, more than 1.16 million appliances had been sold - an increase of 43% compared to the same period last year.
The last time the heating industry experienced a similar market trend was in the 1990s, when the new federal states were thoroughly modernized.
Sales of gas heating systems up 38 percent
By the end of October, sales of gas heating systems had increased by 38 percent to around 694,500 units, while sales of oil heating systems rose by 107 percent to 94,500. Sales of heat pumps for heating systems increased by 75 percent to 320,500. However, interest in heat pumps has waned as a result of the GEG debate, according to the association. This was partly due to the long unclear funding situation regarding federal subsidies for efficient buildings. Applications for funding for heat pumps at the responsible Federal Office of Economics and Export Control fell sharply in 2023.
The member companies assume that the market will decline sharply in the first quarter of 2024, according to the federal association. "Our companies do not expect the Building Energy Act to stimulate the market."
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- Amidst the uncertainty, the German Press Agency reported on the record sales of new gas heating systems in Germany prior to the implementation of the building energy act.
- Ralf Kiryk, Head of Department at the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry, attributed the surge in gas heating system sales to the public debate surrounding the Building Energy Act, also known as the 'heating law'.
- The Traffic light coalition's agreement on a compromise for the new Heating Act, which mandates a 65% renewable energy usage for new heating systems from 2024, further boosted the industry's confidence in gas heating systems.
- In Berlin, industry experts closely followed live updates on the new regulations, with many real estate developers and homeowners delaying their decisions to purchase new heating systems in anticipation of the Turn of the year and the new Heating law.
- Despite the GEG debate dampening interest in heat pumps, the German Press Agency reported a significant increase in gas heating system sales, with a 38% rise in gas heating units sold by the end of October 2023 compared to the previous year.
- The turning point in traffic and energy consumption might shape Berlin's future, with the impact of the Building Energy Act on gas heating, heating systems, and climate goals remaining a topic of keen interest for German press and experts.
- In the live discussion on climate change, energy consumption, and traffic-related emissions, the German Press Agency served as a crucial platform for sharing insights on the turning point in the heating industry, as the country braces for the full implementation of the 'building energy act' in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
