Berlin.
How much money there should be for heat pumps and the like is not up to the Bundestag. But parliamentarians want to have a say in funding.
The traffic light coalition agrees that those who switch to a heat pump or another form of renewable heating starting next year should receive money from the state. However, it has not yet been decided exactly how much it should be for whom – and there are also disagreements about who exactly decides that. Representatives of several parliamentary groups in the Bundestag are calling for more say than previously planned in the distribution of the Financial support.
While about the amendment to the Building Energy Act, which allows the installation of purely fossil fuels heaters should prevent in the future, is decided in the Bundestag, the financial support for the heating replacement should continue to run through the Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG). However, this is regulated by the Federal Ministry of Economics in coordination with other departments, without the participation of Parliament.
In view of the size of the project, this cannot remain the case, the FDP believes. “We’re talking about many billions in taxes that have to be used sensibly and, above all, effectively,” says Daniel Föst, spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group for building and housing policy. The previous funding by regulation and KfW programs by the Ministry of Economic Affairs was “not always happy and sometimes not effective,” he said, referring to the short-term canceled Promotion of new construction in the past year.
Do not leave the decision “to Mr. Habeck and Mr. Graichen alone”
This time, the Bundestag should therefore be able to have a say, according to the Liberals. “With such high sums and the social relevance, the parliament must be more involved,” said Föst. “In this case, I would not like to leave that to Mr. Habeck and Mr. Graichen alone.” Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) presented the first details in April on how funding should be funded in the future.
The Bundestag must decide on an overall concept, the Union also demands. “It leads to further uncertainty when the traffic light only decides new obligations in parliament, the funding remains in the fog and the government later issues guidelines for this,” says Andreas Jung, energy policy spokesman for the Union faction. “Both are inseparable and both belong in the hands of the Bundestag.” The CDU and CSU would therefore bring this decision to Parliament – “all the more so since the traffic light government lost a lot of trust with their funding chaos,” said Jung to this editorial team.
Greens want up to 80 percent subsidy for new heating systems
And even in the Green Group there is a need to speak. “The cornerstones of funding for the heating exchangethat were presented must now be specified quickly,” said Julia Verlinden, deputy leader of the parliamentary group, to our editorial team.
That is up to the responsible ministries, “but we want to make it clear as a group that we still see a need for change.” The funding must be socially just. The Greens in the Bundestag had presented a paper with proposals this week. In it, they advocate, among other things, socially staggered support – for example, anyone who has an income of less than 20,000 euros a year should then receive 80 percent of the total costs of a new heating system as a subsidy.
Heating exchange: will the law come later?
Not just about the promotion, also about the new one Building Energy Act itself is further debated. Several state leaders sharply criticized the project in the Bundesrat on Friday.
The Association of Municipal Companies, among others, had previously spoken out in favor of postponing the regulations on heating replacement by one year to January 1, 2025. Ramona Pop, head of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vbzv), emphasized to our editors that clarity is now needed, above all: “It is important that the Building Energy Act is passed quickly by the Bundestag so that consumers can plan with certainty,” she said. “If she regulations should apply from 2024 or 2025 is almost secondary.”
More articles from this category can be found here: Politics
