In order for Germany to become less dependent on Russian gas, private households will also have to take on more responsibility. From the. The second stage of the new Energy Saving Ordinance takes effect on October 1st. You can find out what this means for consumers here.
Saving gas is the order of the day. As a result, consumers, industry and the public sector will have to tighten their energy consumption again starting next month. From October 1st, the second of two new energy saving ordinances introduced by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will take effect. It contains measures and restrictions that primarily affect apartment and house owners. The first regulation came into force on September 1st.
An overview:
Annual heating checks are becoming mandatory for buildings with gas heating, since many heating systems consume an unnecessarily large amount of energy. The systems should, for example, be set to lower flow temperatures and a reduction during the night.
So-called hydraulic balancing can also make heating systems more efficient by optimally distributing the water. It is to become mandatory for large buildings with a central heat supply using natural gas if it has not yet been made. Deadlines apply:
According to the ordinance, the hydraulic balancing of gas central heating systems must be carried out by September 30, 2023 in all non-residential buildings within the scope of the Building Energy Act with a heated area of 1000 square meters or more, as well as in residential buildings with at least ten residential units. By September 15, 2024, it must be in residential buildings with at least six residential units.
According to the regulation, there are exceptions if:
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In addition, the second stage of the Energy Saving Ordinance stipulates that inefficient, uncontrolled heating pumps in buildings with natural gas heating must be replaced because, according to the ministry, they are energy guzzlers.
For companies, the second ordinance includes a further point: from an energy consumption of 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, they are obliged to take energy efficiency measures – if they have already carried out an energy audit in which consumption and potential savings are broken down.
The following measures have been in effect for the private sector and trade since September 1:
Since then, the following points have applied to public buildings:
The ordinance states: “No special regulations will be created for the enforcement of the legal obligations under this ordinance.” This is similar to the enforcement of the Corona Ordinance, the Federal Ministry of Economics said when asked by the “SWR”: “We are going We assume that the federal states will implement this and that the majority of the population is aware of this and acts accordingly.
There is very little information on this in the text of the regulation. According to its own statements, the Federal Ministry of Economics has not imposed any fines. However, the countries would have to implement the regulation.
The energy spokeswoman for the Ministry of Economics told the “Berliner Zeitung”: “In principle, it’s about saving gas, i.e. electricity that is produced from gas. If everyone saves a little, then, among other things, this share can also help to avoid a gas shortage, which could then have even more drastic effects on everyone. In this sense, too, it is about compliance and control.”
Now that the Federal Council has also approved the ordinance, the provisions of the second Energy Saving Ordinance will initially apply for two years – i.e. until September 30, 2024. The measures of the first ordinance are valid for six months.
Stadtwerke Düsseldorf is currently sending letters about an upcoming gas price increase. But the letters should not help many. Because the cover letter simply contains an extremely complicated formula with which the increase is calculated.
A megawatt hour now costs around 400 euros in Germany. That’s a good three times as much as a year ago. EU-wide we are in the more expensive half, but other countries suffer far more from sometimes lower prices.
