Photo: © Stiebel Eltron
The media hype surrounding the topic of heating was followed by disillusionment. The Building Energy Act, popularly known as the Heating Act, became a nuisance. Now the 2022 census is providing the first up-to-date figures on how heating is used in Germany and possibly new impetus for replacing old heating systems.
The effects of the Building Energy Act (GEG) fell far short of expectations. Three quarters of funding applications were submitted by owners of single-family homes. The proportion of owners of multi-family houses and homeowners' associations is estimated at 16 per cent. According to the BMWK, a total of 27,306 funding approvals for the new heating subsidy had been issued by May 2024.
According to the results now available from the 2022 census, 75 per cent of all homes in Germany are heated with gas (56 per cent) or oil (19 per cent) and a further 15 per cent with district heating. Renewable energies for heating residential buildings have so far played a subordinate role in the overall stock. Only four per cent of all homes are heated with wood or wood pellets and three per cent with solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, environmental heat or exhaust air heat (heat pumps).
The figures for new builds are encouraging: almost two thirds (64.6 per cent) of residential buildings completed in 2023 will use heat pumps as their primary heating system, while the proportion of residential buildings approved last year will be 76.3 per cent.
"If you want to save on heating costs, you should also keep an eye on the rising CO2 tax on gas," says graduate engineer Henning Schulz from Stiebel Eltron. According to a recent analysis by the consumer portal Verivox, new customers heating a detached house pay 38 per cent more for the gas they need than for the electricity that a heat pump would require to provide the same amount of heat. Important reasons: The VAT rate for gas has been back at 19 per cent since April and the gas storage levy increased in July 2024. In addition, the CO2 levy for gas continues to rise. Anyone who heats with a heat pump benefits from special electricity tariffs from energy suppliers. Prices fluctuate, but are on average a good 20 per cent cheaper than household electricity.
