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The Renewable Energies Heat Act
(EEWärmeG) in brief

What are the main points of the Heat Act?

The Heat Act stipulates that by 2020 14 percent of Germany’s heat must come from renewable energies. The Act is intended to protect the environment and help reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. Its aim is both to conserve resources and to ensure a secure and sustainable energy supply. There are three aspects to the Act:

1. The obligation to use renewables: From 1 January 2009 owners of newly erected buildings must use renewable energies for their heat requirements. All owners are subject to this obligation, whether private individuals, the state or businesses. All forms of renewables, or combinations of them, can be used. Renewable energies include solar radiation, geothermal energy, ambient heat and biomass. Those who do not wish to use renewable energies can take other climate protection measures: improve the insulation of their buildings, obtain heat from district heating systems or use heat from combined heat and power generation (CHP).
2. Financial support: The use of renewable energies will continue to be financially supported. The government will inject more money into the existing market incentive programme, increasing funding for this support instrument to as much as 500 million Euro per year. This means better planning certainty for investors.
3. Heat grids: The Act makes it easier for heat grids to be extended. It makes provision for local authorities to prescribe connection to and use of such a grid in the interests of climate protection.