Germany's heating law reform sparks outrage over weakened climate targets
A new draft of the heating law reform by Economics Minister Katherina Reiches has faced sharp criticism from environmental groups. They argue the proposal weakens climate targets for buildings and shifts unfair costs onto tenants.
The draft removes key requirements for renewable energy in heating systems while allowing continued reliance on fossil fuels until 2040. Under the proposed changes, landlords and tenants would split the extra costs of biogas blending equally at first. But once the mandatory 60 percent biofuel threshold starts in 2040, tenants would pay more than half the additional burden. Biomethane is already costly—gas tariffs with at least 10 percent biogas add about 1.05 cents per kilowatt-hour compared to standard natural gas.
The draft also scraps the rule that new heating systems must use at least 65 percent renewable energy. Instead, it permits up to 40 percent of heating to come from fossil fuels like natural gas by 2040. Environmentalists warn this could undermine efforts to make the building sector climate-neutral.
Critics highlight broader risks. Jörg-Andreas Krüger of NABU argues that removing these safeguards turns climate neutrality into an empty promise. WWF Germany warns of economic risks for consumers, while Greenpeace’s Mira Jäger calls the draft a burial of climate goals. She instead advocates for heat pumps, despite their higher upfront costs, due to lower long-term expenses.
The BUND condemns the proposal as a declaration of climate policy bankruptcy. Environmentalists also caution that increased cultivation of rapeseed and maize for energy could threaten biodiversity by reducing land available for food production. The draft law now faces strong opposition from multiple environmental organisations. If passed, it would delay the shift to renewable heating and increase financial pressure on tenants. The government must now decide whether to revise the proposal or proceed despite the backlash.
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