After the coalition of the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party settled on the key points of the Building Modernisation Act and the revised Heating Planning Act, the German Association of Cities and Municipalities welcomed the plans but called for clearer, long‑term foundations.
“The heat transition is a societal undertaking – and cities and municipalities sit at its core” said André Berghegger, CEO of the association, during an interview with the “Rheinische Post” on Thursday. He emphasized that local governments need reliable, understandable legal frameworks and solid financial and staff resources to implement comprehensive heating plans and the heat transition on the ground. “Without these fundamentals, good intentions become ineffective” he warned.
Berghegger urged lawmakers to provide planning certainty swiftly. He suggested that introducing a quota for climate‑friendly fuels in oil‑ and gas‑fired heating could be one element that offers flexibility and technological openness. However, he cautioned that such measures must not undermine the economic viability of existing plans in municipalities and utilities, particularly in the expansion of district‑heating networks.
He added that economic inefficiencies arising from parallel development of heating infrastructures must be avoided, and that the creation of heating plans should be further simplified, especially for smaller communities.
A reliable and consistent funding framework, according to Berghegger, is key to a successful heat transition. Only with adequately financed, long‑term, and dependable programs – such as the Federal Förder program for Efficient Buildings (BEG) and the Federal Förder program for Efficient Heat Networks (BEW) – can economic hardships be prevented, investment willingness be strengthened, and societal acceptance gained. He pointed out that, in the realm of district heating alone, the estimated investment need amounts to €43.5 billion by 2030.
In contrast, Ines Schwerdtner, co‑chair of the German Left Party, sharply criticized the proposed new Building Energy Law. “What the federal government offers is a gift to the gas lobby” she told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. She argued that lowering the renewable energy quota and permitting the continued use of old gas and oil boilers directly drives millions of people into a fossil‑fuel heating trap.
Schwerdtner dismissed Jens Spahn’s hope that heating rooms can return to privatization as a cheap cultural struggle: “The fact is that those who are still installing gas boilers today will inevitably suffer from high gas prices in the next few years”. She concluded that no one wants further planetary destruction, but many cannot afford the transition. “That’s why the state must step in” she said. Climate protection must be affordable and fair for all. If people cannot afford the shift, the state should pay for heat pumps – even up to 100 % if needed.
