German CSU secretary‑general Martin Huber has pledged that the new building‑modernisation law will include tenant‑protection measures. “For us it is important that the heating cellar remains a private matter” he told the weekly editions of the Mediengruppe Bayern. “And tenants will of course not be overlooked; the new law contains several mechanisms to protect them from the installation of uneconomical heating systems”.
How exactly those safeguards will work is still a matter of debate. While only a framework exists for the bill, the current rule that newly installed heating systems must be at least 65 % powered by renewable heat is set to be dropped. In a separate piece of legislation, as reported by T‑Online, minimum quotas for bio‑gas and hydrogen are being introduced.
According to calculations from the Öko‑Institut, this reform would widen the climate‑protection gap in the building sector by an additional five to eight megatonnes of CO₂‑equivalent per year up to 2030, and by 14 to 22 MtCO₂e per year up to 2040. Operating a gas heater could see its cost rise from today’s 11 cents per kilowatt‑hour to roughly 15 cents in 2029 and to more than 25 cents by 2040.
Huber, however, argues that the law will ultimately lower costs. “People can choose again between different solutions-heat pumps, pellets, district heating, or even oil and gas heating. That competition and technological openness will lead to lower prices” he said.
He also hinted at support for farmers who wish to produce biomethane. “Green gases have enormous potential. The green‑gas quota shows that we still care about climate protection and that we want to strengthen regional value creation” Huber added. When asked whether farmers could expect subsidies for retrofitting or new construction, he stressed the party’s commitment: “We want to open up opportunities for the agriculture sector. We are absolutely clear that we will not leave our farmers behind”.