Baden-Württemberg: Many inquiries in Heilbronn-Franconia about replacing old oil and gas heating systems

Many heaters in Germany will have to be replaced by 2028 at the latest. The trend is towards heat pumps. But which heating makes sense for whom? What else is there to consider?

Most people in the Heilbronn-Franconia region have already turned on their heating in the past few days. For some, however, the question will arise in the near future: Which heating system should I have in the basement? From 2028 at the latest, 30-year-old oil and gas heating systems will have to be replaced. “Many have already taken care of it or are currently doing so,” says Jürgen Hohl, guild master of the Heilbronn-Hohenlohe plumbing and heating guild. But which heating system is best for me and my living situation? What funding might be available? And what is the state of the heating systems in the Heilbronn-Franconia region?

Many people are already having old heating systems replaced

Not only in his own company, but also as a guild master, Hohl is of course aware that other heating companies are also receiving a lot of inquiries about replacing old oil and gas heating systems. He also recommends taking care of this in good time, for two reasons: On the one hand, the replacement obligation applies from 2026 or 2028, depending on the size of the municipality. In addition, the situation surrounding the delivery bottlenecks has calmed down and the shortage of skilled workers is also not an issue in the heating industry. said guild master Hohl.

From October 1st: Obligatory Heating check

On October 1st, new regulations in the Building Energy Act regarding the substantiating heating check and the hydraulic balancing of the heating come into force. The law requires that older heating systems in buildings with at least six residential units must be checked and optimized. This obligation applies to heaters that use water as a heat medium, such as oil, gas or wood heaters. As the consumer advice center writes, hydraulic balancing can make heating more efficient and save heating costs. This is recommended anyway and is also widely used, confirms Jürgen Hohl.

Funding: These exist and this is how it works

According to the consumer advice center, there are also subsidies for this. Since August, landlords of single-family homes, companies and municipalities have also been able to apply for a subsidy to replace the heating system. Since the regulation is still quite new, the funding is not yet being requested that often, but is increasingly being requested and the heating company is also being asked to replace the heating system.

However, the funding for heating replacement is not the only one that homeowners, for example, can benefit from. Here you can find an overview of the various funding options and tips from the consumer advice center as to which funding is suitable for whom.

Heat pump or biomass, which suits which building?

The trend is currently moving towards renewable energies, especially heat pumps and biomass cogeneration plants. But what goes with which building? The building envelope, including the type of facade, plays a role, explains Jürgen Hohl. If you look at these two types of heating, Hohl continues, the heat pump would be the more sensible solution for single-family homes. It always depends on the area to be heated. Because a heat pump cannot quite achieve the heating temperature of an oil or gas heater. But that’s not a problem; it simply needs to be adjusted accordingly.

Biomass heating offers the advantage that it can virtually replace a fossil fuel, and the heating temperature does not drop. However, they also require more space and are more complex to install, explains Hohl. That’s why customers are currently more likely to choose heat pumps. The third option, so-called heating networks, are not yet that interesting for consumers, the guild master reports from his experience. He believed that the high operating costs had deterred people here.

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