Is heating with oil still possible in the future in Germany?

The cabinet has recently adopted the new Climate Protection Act, featuring a comprehensive climate protection program (KSP) until 2030. This reform comes after the Climate Protection Act has been in effect in Germany for over three and a half years. The crucial aspect of this reform is that it must not result in emitting one tonne more CO₂ than the previous law allowed. The new regulations no longer set targets for individual sectors, allowing for offsetting of CO₂ emissions across sectors. Nonetheless, the ultimate objective remains unchanged - Germany aims to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.

However, the actual legislative process involving the Bundesrat and Bundestag will not commence until after the parliamentary summer recess, which begins on 7th July 2023.

In addition, the traffic light coalition has reached an agreement on changes to the GEG (Building Energy Act). The group leaders apparently reached a consensus on 27th June 2023 regarding subsidies and tenant protection. The revised law aims to strike a balance between climate protection, technological openness, and social harmony. Moreover, the Building Energy Act will be linked to a law on municipal heat planning. However, due to concerns raised by the Federal Constitutional Court about potential violation of parliamentary members' participation rights because of the short timeline between the introduction and adoption of the law, its passage in parliament was prohibited before the summer recess. As a result, the second and third readings of the Building Energy Act are scheduled to take place in the first week of September, right after the parliamentary summer recess.

The agreement on the new GEG is crucial for meeting the future reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector, as mandated by the Climate Protection Act.