Berlin Discussions on urban and community heating are moving into their next round. The federal government’s Ministry of Construction and Economy wants to avoid a fiasco like the Building Energy Act (GEG). That’s why they presented a revised draft law on “urban heating planning” this Friday, giving the cantons and associations a second chance to comment on the planned law.
The heat plan is closely related to GEG and will be passed after the summer vacation. Basically, this means that GEG’s obligations only apply to the replacement of heating after the heating plan has been drawn up. The cabinet is due to make a decision on August 16. The law will be discussed in the Bundestag and Bundesrat in autumn. The goal is to graduate by the end of this year.
Municipal heating plans are important because they determine the potential for connecting buildings to the heating network. For example, homeowners who have the potential to be connected to the heating network can save on investments in electric heat pumps. It must then be ensured that it is not the building owner but the operator of the heating network that converts the heat supply to renewable energy.
“Comprehensive heating planning is an important prerequisite for climate-neutral heating,” says Sören Bartol (SPD), Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Construction. “It provides planning and investment security and makes it easier to switch to the most suitable heating for the location.”
By 2030, existing heating networks must operate with 30 percent renewable energy, waste heat or a combination of both. By 2040, this proportion will reach 80%. Germany’s heat supply must be fully climate-neutral by the end of 2044.
Here’s the current plan:
1. Deadline
Heat planning will be mandatory and fully implemented in all cities and communities (even small ones). But these should take longer. Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants must submit their heating plans by June 30, 2026 at the latest. For everyone else, the deadline is June 30, 2028.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are 10,789 cities in Germany, of which 9,187 have fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. So far only local heating plans have been developed in Germany, for example in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
2. Simplified procedure and initial review
For cities with a population of up to 10,000 people, a simplified heating planning process will be possible, which was not previously planned. Neighboring cities can formulate combined heat supply plans for heat supply planning. Cross-border participation should also be possible. This applies to the regions of Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony.
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Small cities can also be explained by so-called “initial checks”, even without a comprehensive heating plan, the heat will most likely not be supplied via the heating network or the hydrogen network. It is clear that in these cities the switchover to renewable energy for heating must be decentralized, i.e. in individual houses or districts.
3. Continuation of existing heating schemes
If local authorities already have heating plans in place, these will not be restricted. This means: In these cities, too, the GEG’s rules apply only if the municipality has to submit a heating plan in accordance with federal law, ie by June 30, 2026 or June 30, 2028. The exception is when municipalities want to push themselves. But that’s the city’s decision.
4. Financial support for municipalities
The federal government is planning to financially support municipalities in developing heating plans. Program participation 50% of planning costs. To this end, federal and state administrative agreements must be concluded.
5. Identification of Hydrogen Network Regions
New planning: Municipalities can designate areas for new or expanded heating or hydrogen network areas. The premise is that the planners show that the option has a “relatively low cost per kilowatt-hour”, “low implementation risk, high security of supply and low cumulative greenhouse gas emissions”. The law thus lays the groundwork for the use of hydrogen-based heating systems.
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