(de-news.net) – Carsten Schneider (SPD) has called on the governing coalition to move rapidly toward agreement on revised rules for the replacement of heating systems, warning that extended regulatory uncertainty could weaken confidence throughout the sector. According to media reports, the Minister of the Environment argued that timely clarification was increasingly urgent because negotiations on the intended overhaul of the building energy framework were progressing more slowly than originally envisaged, thereby prolonging uncertainty for manufacturers, installers, and consumers alike.

Representatives of the heating industry have cautioned that inconsistent legal and subsidy frameworks could translate into tangible economic consequences, including job cuts and an expansion of short-time work. This fragility was reflected in recent market data, which indicated that total sales of heating systems declined again in 2025, even as installations of heat pumps continued to rise compared with the previous year. Against this backdrop, the coalition formed by the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats reaffirmed in its governing agreement its intention to repeal the controversial heating law adopted under the previous administration and to replace it with new legislation, while simultaneously maintaining its commitment to accelerating the transition toward climate-friendly heating technologies.

Schneider emphasized that these legislative revisions should not dilute the core aims of climate policy. He maintained that achieving the necessary reductions in carbon dioxide emissions was not only environmentally imperative but also socially equitable, given the steadily increasing costs associated with fossil fuels and the risk of households becoming locked into long-term financial disadvantages. At the same time, he called for a recalibration of subsidy programs, arguing that public financial support should be more explicitly guided by social criteria. Such an approach, he suggested, would better enable lower- and middle-income households to invest in sustainable heating solutions. He further noted that earlier funding schemes had disproportionately benefited higher-income groups, and he urged the current government to correct this distributional imbalance as part of its broader reform agenda.