The energy balance should be improved by the new energy law. But the alternatives to oil and gas are not without risk.
Every newly installed heating system from 2024 should be 65 percent more renewable Energy can be operated. This is what the Federal Government’s plans for the Building Energy Act envisage. These include electrical heat pumps, designed to lead away from oil and gas heating. However, various refrigerants used in heat pumps could pose a problem.
That hasn’t curbed the heat pump hype yet: According to the Federal Statistical Office, the demand for heat pumps increased last year. In the first three quarters, around 49 percent more pumps were produced than in the previous year. Compared to 2017, the Production even doubled.
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Heat pumps: Refrigerant could be dangerous
The problem: Most of the pumps currently installed use so-called fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) as refrigerants, which are even significantly more harmful to the climate than CO2 if the gases escape – which can happen when a device is disposed of, for example. That is why the EU is currently discussing a ban on these gases.
Heat pumps with a refrigerant with a low GWP value are recommended by the consumer center. These use different refrigerants. “These are often natural substances such as Propane. But there are also artificial substances with a low GWP value. The lower the value, the more climate-friendly the heat pump is,” the website says
However, this is not entirely safe. In contrast to the F-gases, propane is flammable and explosive, which is why it must not be installed in the interior in most cases. This could be a problem, especially in big cities.
“The heat pumps must be installed outside so that there is no explosive atmosphere if the refrigerant escapes,” explains refrigeration engineer Marcel Kock of our editorial team. “If the pump is in a small basement room and 500 grams of propane escapes, i.e. about as much as in 20 lighters, that could be dangerous,” says Kock. In large cities, however, there is often not enough space outside for the heat pumps.
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Expert: Energy law must include more foresight
Die indecision the government is now facing a problem for those who build heating systems. “We cannot install a device for a customer that will no longer be allowed in a few years,” says the expert. Because the costs for a renewal are then extremely high. However, it is currently not clear whether a renewal is legally necessary at all.
The heating expert wishes that Energy Act is done with the necessary foresight. “We all want this law. But it must be checked whether it is feasible. We cannot buy new devices every ten years,” says Kock.
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