According to a media report, the federal government fears millions of heating failures in winter. But compared to FOCUS online, many experts now warn against unnecessary “scaremongering”.
Do millions of heating systems fail completely in winter when gas runs out? At least that’s what the federal government fears, according to a report in the “Bild” newspaper. The head of the chancellery and Scholz confidant Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD) had connected with the heads of the state chancellery on Wednesday. Also present in the video switch was the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller.
He had already warned in advance that the gas flow monitor would be triggered in the event of a regional pressure drop in the gas network, which could render a large number of gas heaters inoperable until the problem was resolved. In the worst case, hundreds of thousands of households would no longer be able to heat for many weeks in winter because there was a lack of craftsmen.
Because the gas heaters have to be put back into operation manually. This means that in every single household, specialists from plumbing companies have to turn the gas on again. The effort can vary depending on the system. For safety reasons, some gas heaters even have to be monitored afterwards to ensure that no gas escapes during commissioning, for example.
Udo Sieverding, energy expert at the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, also told FOCUS online that the supply networks could collapse in winter. Although he speaks of the “worst case”, he says very clearly: If the gas deliveries fail, the network collapses – and many heating systems cannot then be got up and running again quickly.
However, Sieverding does not believe that it will come to that. His conclusive argument: “Because there are no craftsmen, the citizens would sit in the cold all winter if the heating system collapsed in November. Politicians won’t allow that, I’m sure of it.”
The experts are aware of the drama – that “a drop in pressure would lead to catastrophe,” says Sieverding. This applies to everyone involved, from the Federal Network Agency to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology to the politicians in the Bundestag parties.
Because the possible consequences of a network collapse would be so serious, the federal government will definitely prevent this. “I rely on it,” the expert reassures anxious consumers. “Furniture stores and schools would sooner be taken offline than citizens sitting at home freezing for months,” says Sieverding.
The general manager of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management, Kerstin Andreae, also called for prudence in view of the report in the “Bild” newspaper. “I would really like to ask you not to foment such scaremongering,” said Andreae on the ntv program “Frühstart”.
It is true that a technician is needed to get heaters going again after a failure, but there are precautions for a possible pressure drop in the lines. “If such problems occur in a street, in a gas pipeline, then the network operators and the players know this very well and can act very early on.”
Frank Zöller, foreman of the guild for sanitary and heating technology in Karlsruhe Bruchsal and district master craftsman in the Karlsruhe region, also warned against alarmism. “First and foremost, we have to promote saving energy,” he says to FOCUS online. Ultimately, every cubic meter of gas that is saved offers more flexibility in the event of an emergency. In his eyes, the chances are good that there will be no widespread heating failure if everyone participates in possible savings.
Nevertheless, his craft is also preparing for an emergency. One is currently in the process of “conducting training courses with companies that do not routinely have much to do with gas, but who can do it from the company.” Should there be large-scale heating failures, his trade needs everyone to reactivate gas systems. “Even chimney sweeps are involved because they know the systems too.”
The head of the technology department at the Baden-Württemberg Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning Association, Jörg Knapp, also warned in an interview with FOCUS online that the municipal utilities should also draw up an action plan that regulates exactly what to do if the case does occur.
