Several associations are warning the new federal government against abolishing the so-called Heating Law, as announced by the Union and SPD. They refer, among other things, to the installation of 62,000 heat pumps in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 35 percent compared to the same period last year. “The market is gradually picking up steam as the realization sets in that the departure from fossil energy carriers is sensible” said Martin Sabel, managing director of the Federal Association of Heat Pumps, to the “Spiegel.”
On the other hand, the sales of oil and gas heating systems continued to decline in the first quarter. The demand for energy counseling also increased. “Now that the Heating Law has been in place for some time, the panic has noticeably subsided” said Stefan Bolln, president of the Energy Counseling Association GIH. Many property owners are now weighing up the alternatives and coming to the conclusion that switching to a climate-friendly heating system is worthwhile. Moreover, there is a growing realization that there will be no heat networks for the masses at many locations. “This is driving the demand for heat pumps” said Bolln.
Union and SPD have announced in their coalition agreement that they intend to abolish the previous government’s Heating Law. “It is unclear what the government means with that” said Jan Peter Hinrichs, managing director of the Federal Association of Energy-efficient Building Envelopes (BuVEG). If there were no more requirements for new heating systems, this could be in conflict with the EU Building Directive, which the federal government must implement into national law. “The sentence in the coalition agreement is simple, but carries great risks” Hinrichs said.
Germany is at risk of continuing to fail its climate goals in the building sector. According to a study by the B+L Market Data company commissioned by the BuVEG, only 0.69 percent of all residential buildings were renovated on roofs, windows, or facades in 2024. The study, reported by the “Spiegel” shows. At least 1.7 to 1.9 percent of residential buildings would have to be partially renovated annually in order to make the building stock climate-neutral by 2045. This was calculated by the Federal Ministry of Economics under Robert Habeck (Grüne) earlier. “Homeowners are uncertain when they don’t know what requirements and what funding will come” said Frank Lange, managing director of the Window + Facade Association.