PACKAGE OF FEDERAL MEASURES TO DEAL WITH HIGH ENERGY COSTS DECIDED

03/24/22 | news

Traffic light coalition agrees on a package of measures to counteract high energy costs and reduce dependence on fossil energy imports

The sharply rising costs for electricity, food, heating and mobility have become a major burden for many citizens. With the package of measures, the federal government wants to provide relief. Image source: dpa

In a night-time marathon of negotiations, the coalition parties in the federal government agreed on a series of measures intended to relieve citizens of the high energy prices and also further reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports from Russia.

In addition to the one-time payment of an energy price lump sum, the temporary reduction in petrol and diesel prices and the equally limited introduction of heavily discounted monthly public transport tickets, the expansion of renewable energies is also to be further accelerated.

To this end, an amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG) was announced later this year with a binding specification of the efficiency standard 55 in new buildings from January 1, 2023. In addition, the coalition representatives agreed that from January 1, 2024, every newly installed 65 percent of the heating should be operated with renewable energies. In addition, the governing parties are planning a major heat pump offensive. For this purpose, the exchange program from gas heating to heat pumps in the Federal Program for Efficient Buildings (BEG) is to be optimized.

In addition to an ad hoc reduction in consumption, the switch to renewable energies in all sectors is the central component of the diversification of the energy supply and thus the regaining of energy sovereignty.