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Berlin, Aug. 29, (dpa/GNA) – The Chancellery in Berlin is planning to upgrade its current oil heating system to a more climate-friendly one next year.
In response to a question posed by Germany’s hard-left Die Linke party, the government wrote that the changes are expected to be made by September 2024.
The building that houses German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s executive offices is to be connected to the capital’s district heating network.
However, the network operator, Swedish state-owned energy company Vattenfall, is to decide which energy source will be primarily used.
The Swedish firm announced in July its plans to expand its solar business by buying the German operations of the Hamburg-based solar park developer Solizer.
Currently, Vattenfall still uses mostly natural gas but plans to gradually phase out gas and coal by 2040 and rely on large-scale heat pumps and biomass power plants.
According to the document, ministries based in Berlin and Bonn already use district heating.
Heating is a much-debated topic in Germany right now, as the governing coalition partners have battled each other in recent months over a controversial heating law designed to help make Germany carbon-free by 2045.
The law stipulates that newly installed heating systems, both in old and new buildings, be powered by at least 65% renewable energy.
The plans have caused heated discussions because homeowners fear large financial burdens when switching to climate-friendly heating systems.
Some experts from consumer and environmental associations have warned that the plan to achieve these climate goals puts social stability at risk as high heating bills hit low-income households in poorly modernized houses particularly hard.
GNA
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