ᐅ Gas Heating from January 1, 2024 – What to Do If Your Heating System Breaks Down?
Created on: 21 Jan 2023 11:21
L
leschaf
Hello!
My mother-in-law currently owns a mid-terrace house from around 1920. The whole building is uninsulated, with old windows, etc. Heating is done with gas, and the boiler is nearly 20 years old.
As of January 1, 2024, there is a new regulation/law requiring that 65% of heating energy must come from renewable sources when installing a new heating system. We are quite concerned about how this will work if the boiler breaks down.
Option 1) Heat pump: This is basically ruled out because we would have to completely renovate the house (insulate basement, exterior walls, new roof, new radiators and pipes, new windows). This is financially not feasible and also impossible to do while she still lives there. It is also unpredictable when the boiler might fail, and with a one-year delivery time for a heat pump, she would have a cold house for a year. Additionally, she has a small extension with a rental apartment we just renovated. There is a new gas heating system there. Switching to a heat pump would definitely cause complications there as well.
Option 2) Install a new boiler quickly before the end of the year. Then there should be peace of mind for 20 years (repairs are still allowed for existing boilers). My mother-in-law is 76, so this will probably be sufficient.
Option 3) When the heating breaks down, install a hybrid system consisting of a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal. Although this is likely to be quite expensive.
Option 4) Switch to an eco-gas tariff when the gas boiler breaks down (e.g., a truly green gas tariff).
Am I understanding this correctly? Is Option 4 really a viable way to avoid renovation until she no longer lives there? Are there any other possibilities we might not have considered? And if it is really possible to avoid the issue by switching to eco-gas — how is it supposed to be controlled who has which contract, and so on?
My mother-in-law currently owns a mid-terrace house from around 1920. The whole building is uninsulated, with old windows, etc. Heating is done with gas, and the boiler is nearly 20 years old.
As of January 1, 2024, there is a new regulation/law requiring that 65% of heating energy must come from renewable sources when installing a new heating system. We are quite concerned about how this will work if the boiler breaks down.
Option 1) Heat pump: This is basically ruled out because we would have to completely renovate the house (insulate basement, exterior walls, new roof, new radiators and pipes, new windows). This is financially not feasible and also impossible to do while she still lives there. It is also unpredictable when the boiler might fail, and with a one-year delivery time for a heat pump, she would have a cold house for a year. Additionally, she has a small extension with a rental apartment we just renovated. There is a new gas heating system there. Switching to a heat pump would definitely cause complications there as well.
Option 2) Install a new boiler quickly before the end of the year. Then there should be peace of mind for 20 years (repairs are still allowed for existing boilers). My mother-in-law is 76, so this will probably be sufficient.
Option 3) When the heating breaks down, install a hybrid system consisting of a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal. Although this is likely to be quite expensive.
Option 4) Switch to an eco-gas tariff when the gas boiler breaks down (e.g., a truly green gas tariff).
Am I understanding this correctly? Is Option 4 really a viable way to avoid renovation until she no longer lives there? Are there any other possibilities we might not have considered? And if it is really possible to avoid the issue by switching to eco-gas — how is it supposed to be controlled who has which contract, and so on?
S
Sunshine38723 Jan 2023 20:46Gas heating systems often do not last longer than 15 years. Some fail after just 10 years. However, exceptions to this rule are possible for heat pumps as well as for gas systems.
Bausparfuchs schrieb:
The restrictions starting in 2024 relate to the installation of a new heating system. What is considered a heating system?
The gas boiler, the chimney or flue, the radiators, the valves and safety devices, the hot water tank or instantaneous water heater.
As long as you don’t replace everything, it is not considered a new heating system but rather a repair or replacement of individual components. If the gas boiler breaks down after, say, five years, you simply have a new one installed—if necessary, a used or demonstration unit.
Of course, you can clarify all this in advance with someone knowledgeable. Usually, this is the responsible district chimney sweep master.
That would certainly be good. I will check on that, as I am already working closely with the chimney sweep during our own renovation since he is also an energy consultant.
Winniefred24 Jan 2023 14:49I wouldn’t want a new gas boiler at all. I would try to have the old one repaired so that it can be used until a different heating system is delivered. But how it will turn out exactly remains to be seen. There are so many factors involved; you just have to wait and see. I also hope that the plumber will find an uncomplicated solution if it comes to that.
So, I just reviewed the ministry’s guidelines again (search: 65 percent renewable energy for new heating installations from 2024 implementation concept). It clearly states that:
- The regulation applies in case of a gas boiler failure. For example, gas-fired unit heaters are explicitly mentioned:
- There are somewhat more flexible rules for hybrid heating systems, since the heat pump only needs to cover 30 percent of the building’s heating load – this could be a financially manageable solution in our case:
- In case of a failure, there is a three-year grace period within which the replacement must be completed. That means a temporary replacement unit can be installed initially and later supplemented with a heat pump:
- It is indeed possible to heat with biogas, but this is not necessarily recommended:
- The regulation applies in case of a gas boiler failure. For example, gas-fired unit heaters are explicitly mentioned:
For gas-fired unit heaters, the obligation to use 65 percent renewable energy generally applies when the first gas-fired unit heater in the building fails and needs to be replaced after the regulations came into effect on January 1, 2024.
- There are somewhat more flexible rules for hybrid heating systems, since the heat pump only needs to cover 30 percent of the building’s heating load – this could be a financially manageable solution in our case:
Another option is the installation of a so-called hybrid heating system. This is a system where a maximum of 35 percent of the heat demand is produced using fossil fuels. The remaining share of at least 65 percent must be provided by renewable energy sources (biomass, heat pumps, solar thermal, green gases, or an electric heating element powered by photovoltaic electricity from the building’s roof or the neighborhood). Compliance with this requirement must generally be calculated in advance based on estimates. To simplify and allow unbureaucratic implementation, when a hybrid system consists of fossil gas or oil boilers combined with an electric heat pump, compliance with the 65 percent requirement is assumed as long as the heat pump covers 30 percent or more of the output.
- In case of a failure, there is a three-year grace period within which the replacement must be completed. That means a temporary replacement unit can be installed initially and later supplemented with a heat pump:
In cases of heating system breakdowns where switching to 65 percent renewable heat is only possible in the short term through green gases or liquid biomass, the obligation to fulfill the 65 percent renewable energy requirement does not have to be met immediately at the time of heating installation, but within three years after replacing the heating system. During the transition period, the building owner can temporarily install and use a (possibly used) gas or oil heating system and then supplement or replace it within three years with a heating system that meets the 65 percent renewable energy requirement.
- It is indeed possible to heat with biogas, but this is not necessarily recommended:
For gas heating systems operated with sustainable biomethane, green hydrogen, or other green gases, a contractual agreement and a secure proof system (mass balance system or certificate of origin system) must demonstrate the permanent supply of at least 65 percent green gases. Since medium- to long-term demand for biomethane and other green gases is expected to be high in other sectors, significant price increases in the supply of biomethane and other green gases are anticipated. Against this background, a tenant protection regulation is provided. According to this, landlords must cover costs exceeding the basic supply tariff for gas when biomethane or green gases are used.
X
xMisterDx24 Jan 2023 18:22After 20 years, replacing the gas heating system would definitely be an option. Especially since the unit can fail at any moment, and delivery times for a new heating system are several months at best.
The argument that a gas heating system only lasts about 15 years is often made. However, a gas system costs less than half of what a heat pump does.
That said, I am quite calm about the future. The de facto heat pump mandate will end in such a disaster that, by 2026 at the latest, the law will include extensive exceptions. Many homeowners over 70 years old simply won’t be able to get a loan to renovate their homes for a heat pump and also afford to buy the heat pump itself. Even those who do get a loan—if the gas heating system breaks down in December, you won’t get the heat pump installed the next day, and the building renovation will certainly not be completed in two weeks. At -10°C (14°F) like in December 2022, this can become very uncomfortable.
The argument that a gas heating system only lasts about 15 years is often made. However, a gas system costs less than half of what a heat pump does.
That said, I am quite calm about the future. The de facto heat pump mandate will end in such a disaster that, by 2026 at the latest, the law will include extensive exceptions. Many homeowners over 70 years old simply won’t be able to get a loan to renovate their homes for a heat pump and also afford to buy the heat pump itself. Even those who do get a loan—if the gas heating system breaks down in December, you won’t get the heat pump installed the next day, and the building renovation will certainly not be completed in two weeks. At -10°C (14°F) like in December 2022, this can become very uncomfortable.
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Buschreiter24 Jan 2023 21:55I see it very similarly. I’m curious how they plan to enforce the 65% renewable energy requirement when delivery times for materials don’t improve, when the skilled trades can’t keep up, when oversized heat pumps are installed, when the piping cannot handle the capacity, when older buildings operate with a seasonal performance factor below 2, when those older buildings get freezing cold due to heat pump tariff shutdowns, and so on.
I support renewables, but the infrastructure and the overall system have to be ready! This is very typical for Germany, just like the media scaremongering about empty gas storage and overheated gas markets. If the house is really suitable for a heat pump, then go with a heat pump. If not: Our new gas heating system uses less energy at -10°C (14°F) than the old one (from 2002) did at +10°C (50°F). Payback period is about 7 years!
I support renewables, but the infrastructure and the overall system have to be ready! This is very typical for Germany, just like the media scaremongering about empty gas storage and overheated gas markets. If the house is really suitable for a heat pump, then go with a heat pump. If not: Our new gas heating system uses less energy at -10°C (14°F) than the old one (from 2002) did at +10°C (50°F). Payback period is about 7 years!
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