Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche (CDU), has strongly defended the draft for the new heating law, pushing back against criticism that has been both moderate and quite harsh.
Dismissing claims-including those from within her own party-that the law violates Germany’s Basic Law, Reiche emphasized to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” that robust procedure was followed. “Naturally, we involved the responsible departments closely and intensively-you can be sure of that” she stated, adding that she had coordinated extensively with Stefanie Hubig and Verena Hubertz, and that she is “very satisfied” with the draft legislation.
According to Reiche, the announced law is already having a positive effect: “People are choosing heat pumps based on their own conviction, not least because of the subsidies, which remain reliable and appropriate”.
Furthermore, the minister countered warnings from consumer protection groups that gas-fired heating could become a financial risk amid expected increases in gas prices. Reiche stated that she has no medium-term concerns regarding gas prices, citing expected growth in the international supply of liquefied gas and the ability of German companies to secure long-term supply contracts. For her, gas remains an “ideal bridge technology for buildings that can anticipate a connection to district heating in the foreseeable future”.
Reiche also refuted the severe criticism issued by the Normenkontrollrat, which had characterized the proposal as one of the “most technically weak and practically distant projects” of recent years. She suggested that the council had simply adopted the submissions of various industry associations.