DeutschStricter rules for heaters
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Anyone who operates an old heating system may have to replace it. The legislator has decreed a ban on the operation of over-30 heating systems. The new rules serve climate protection and should lead to lower energy consumption. In addition, the inspection of gas heating systems will become a new obligation for many property owners in 2023.
Homeowners should check whether their boiler was installed before 1993. The new modernisation rule is legally stipulated in the Building Energy Act. Experts advise developing a concrete plan for switching to climate-friendly heating systems with renewable energies well before the legal obligation. Overall, they are cheaper than fossil-fuelled heating systems.
Heating systems older than 30 years are usually so inefficient that they are not only a burden on the climate, but also on the wallet. Exceptions apply to low-temperature boilers and condensing boilers. Anyone who was the owner of a flat in a building with fewer than three residential units on 1 February 2002 may continue to operate the heating system. In the event of a change of ownership, the replacement obligation then comes into force within two years of purchase.
In 2023, many residential buildings with gas heating systems are due for a heating inspection. For houses with ten or more residential units, the inspection of the gas heating system must take place by 30 September. If the inspection by experts reveals deficiencies, the heating system must be optimised. Hydraulic balancing is also required if it has not yet been carried out.
For residential buildings with less than ten residential units with gas heating, the deadline is 15 September 2024. For less than six residential units, hydraulic balancing is not mandatory.
In view of the sharp rise in gas prices and uncertainties about supply, more and more households want to get rid of their old gas heating. As a result, sales of heat pumps for heating rose to 236,000 units in 2023, an increase of 53 percent over the previous year.
(Photo: © Werner Weisser, Pixabay)