Felix Banaszak, the leader of the Greens, sharply criticized the draft Building Modernization Act proposed by Katherina Reiche of the CDU through the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, warning strongly about rising costs. Speaking to RTL and ntv on Thursday, Banaszak stated that the law-which he noted was passed with support from the SPD-was “completely uninspired by the reality in which we live”.
He pointed out that the public is already recognizing that relying on fossil fuels is a “cost trap” a reality that will soon become noticeable through fuel costs or electricity bills. Specifically, Banaszak blasted Reiche’s suggestion that “freedom in the boiler room” means installing new gas or oil heating systems, claiming this would be “exorbitantly expensive” for ordinary people.
The Green leader continued by asserting that this policy prioritized “ideology over common sense”. Instead, he argued that the current direction is wrong. He noted that governments throughout Europe are actively trying to speed up electrification and install systems like heat pumps. “Here, we are going backward” he warned. “This ultimately constitutes an attack on climate protection, on our security in the international context, and on people’s wallets”.