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Heat pump in front of a single-family home in Düsseldorf: Long waiting time for the application

Photo: Robert Poorten / IMAGO

There has been a long debate about the new heating law, but now homeowners can apply for money to replace the heating system.

Anyone interested in climate-friendly heating has been able to contact the KfW development bank since Tuesday morning.

The application process is initially only open to owners of single-family homes who live in them themselves.

In the morning there were waiting times when registering on the KfW portal because there was obviously a lot of rush.

»In front of you in the waiting room are: 529 people.

The waiting room has been paused,” the website said.

Landlords and their tenants as well as homeowners' associations will have to wait much longer.

They should only be able to apply for state funding measures in May.

Owners' associations even have to wait until August.

Up to 70 percent can be funded

The new heating law of the traffic light coalition, which is behind the new subsidies, came into force on January 1st.

According to this, every newly installed heating system will have to be powered by 65 percent renewable energy in the future, subject to local municipal heat planning.

In many cases, a heat pump can be considered as a new heating system.

In return, homeowners can apply for up to 70 percent of eligible costs.

There is a basic subsidy of 30 percent for the installation of a heating system that is considered climate-friendly, such as a heat pump.

Bonuses can also be paid if you use the house yourself and your salary falls below a certain salary limit.

A contract with a specialist company is also required.

There had been bitter disputes over the heating law for months.

In general, functioning heaters can continue to be operated.

This also applies if a heater breaks but can still be repaired.

With the reform for more climate protection, the federal government wants to advance the heating transition in the building sector and protect consumers from price jumps for oil and gas if CO₂ prices rise in the coming years.

In the second half of 2023, oil and gas heating systems were still in particular demand.

The fossil systems brought record sales to heating manufacturers during this period, and many secured corresponding systems before the new heating law came into force.

apr/dpa