Craftsman president Jörg Dittrich warned that the reform of Germany’s Building Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz) could risk over‑dramatic changes.
Speaking to the Wednesday editions of the “Neue Berliner Redaktionsgesellschaft”, Dittrich said many craft businesses would prefer the subsidies to simply continue and for the law to be renamed. He also cautioned that excessive uncertainty for both companies and consumers would be harmful. “The lingering uncertainty around the Building Energy Act must end. A clear decision would bring much-needed planning and reliability” he added.
The president of the Central Association of German Craftsmanship (ZDH) noted that he could also envisage more fundamental reforms. “If the electricity price for everyone were lowered, as the government promised, subsidies could realistically be scaled back somewhat”, he said. “In that case heat pumps and electric vehicles would become viable, so the incentives would no longer be necessary”.
