Timetable for municipal heating planning wobbly
By 2028 at the latest, all municipalities are to submit a heating plan in order to make progress with the heating transition. However, there are doubts as to whether this timetable can be met. There could be delays in the implementation of the federal law by the federal states, according to the President of the Association of German Cities, Dedy.
The German Association of Cities doubts that the deadlines for municipal heating planning can be met. According to Managing Director Helmut Dedy, the reason for this is that the legislation to be voted on in the Bundesrat on Friday still needs to be transposed into state law. "It is not enough for there to be a heat planning law at federal level. Only when the state laws are in place can the cities collect data on the building stock or existing heating networks." This is the first step for any municipal heat planning.
"Unfortunately, we are receiving signals that the federal states may take the unresolved issues regarding the federal budget as an opportunity to wait with the necessary state laws on heat planning," said Dedy. However, the deadlines for municipalities to draw up a heat plan in the Heat Planning Act are already tight and without any buffer.
"We cannot afford any further delay," emphasized Dedy. If the heating transition is to really pick up speed, the federal government must resolve outstanding budgetary issues quickly. "Heat planning alone will not bring about a heat transition. It depends on the implementation. We urgently need clarity about the planned funding."
Heat planning is a condition of the Heating Act
In a motion, Bavaria is calling for the Bundesrat to refer the Heat Planning Act to the Mediation Committee. The motion states that the law imposes a considerable number and significant amount of additional tasks on the federal states and, as a result, on local authorities - without the federal government having even begun to compensate for the associated additional financial burden or having made any concrete commitments in this regard.
The Bundestag has already passed the law. It supplements the Heating Act and is due to come into force at the same time as the latter on January 1, 2024. Large cities are to draw up heating plans by the end of June 2026, smaller cities and municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants by the end of June 2028.
Only once a municipality has a heating plan will homeowners have to ensure that their new heating system is powered by at least 65% renewable energy when it is installed. The new heating law will initially apply to new buildings within new development areas from 2024.
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The Heat Planning Act, which requires municipalities to submit heating plans by specific deadlines, is currently facing challenges in Bavaria. According to the motion proposed by Bavaria in the Bundesrat, the law imposes additional tasks on federal states and local authorities without sufficient federal compensation or commitments. This potential delay in implementing state laws could affect District heating systems in Bavarian municipalities, as they are required to comply with the Heating Act and have heat planning in place by the given deadlines. The German Association of Cities and municipalities are closely monitoring this situation, as any delay could impact the progress of the German heating transition.
Source: www.ntv.de
