Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

:rolleyes: The higher the share of renewables, the more stable our grid will be in the future – everyone can contribute something to that.

Rather the opposite. The more unpredictable the feed-in and the consumption are, the more difficult it becomes to keep a grid stable. Because the demand side is also changing due to the mass installation of photovoltaic systems on house roofs. When the sun shines, these houses no longer draw any electricity; as soon as the sun goes down or clouds appear, they need electricity for the heat pump. Previously, consumption was much more predictable. One can accept the problem and make the necessary investments. Or one can deny it and wait until it blows up for the first time.

What would be the heating solution for the average consumer if currently there is a gas heating system installed, but it should slowly be replaced after 30 years? My parents’ house, built in the early 90s. Honestly, I’m at a loss here.

There is no real solution. You can, like , look at the financial side and say, "I’ll run a new gas heating system for another 15-20 years, and that will probably be cheaper than a full renovation." But that assumes not too many people think that way. Otherwise, the protection of existing installations will quickly no longer apply. The other option is to invest heavily and switch everything over to heat pumps.

If it is really older than 30 years, it must already be replaced now. This year and next year it was still possible to go against a new gas condensing boiler, after that you have to plan differently.

Quickly googled. They might have been lucky, having moved in before 2002, so probably not mandatory yet.

But simply converting a house from the early 90s ("poorly" insulated, no underfloor heating or, if present, large spacing) to a heat pump doesn’t work. And if oil, gas, pellets/chip wood also fall away, a heating replacement could result in a large and expensive energy refurbishment (subsidies?).

Heat pumps or a large energy refurbishment are out of the question :confused: My parents are old.

So my gut feeling for them: quickly get a new gas boiler. District heating unfortunately doesn’t work either. I’m still looking into hybrid solutions, but not much sun comes onto the roof. Meh

But it also means that all those old houses, which were recently still sold at exorbitant prices, will now face problems even faster. The supposedly easy switch from oil to often still available town gas will then no longer be possible, and with it the buyer class -"move in immediately without the chance for real renovation".

I hope it does not lead to many elderly people having to leave their homes because they cannot afford the conversion to a heat pump system. Presumably, there will be exceptions in these cases.

The most affordable retrofit solution is probably an air conditioning system or an air-to-air heat pump. €10-15K minus 35% funding. This way, you avoid the lack of underfloor heating or the conversion to low-temperature radiators.

Quickly googled. They might have been lucky, having moved in before 2002, so probably not mandatory yet. Heat pumps or major energy renovations are out of the question :confused: My parents are old. So my gut feeling for them is: quickly get a new gas boiler. District heating unfortunately doesn't work either. I'm also looking into hybrid things, but not much sun gets on the roof. Meh

So far, I only read that from 2024 new heating systems must no longer be gas heating. Whether replacing existing heating systems is included remains to be seen for now.

The cheapest retrofit solution is probably an air conditioner or air-to-air heat pump. €10-15K minus 35% subsidy. This way you avoid the lack of underfloor heating or the conversion to low-temperature radiators

In a building with a heating demand over 100 kWh/m2 (older, no underfloor heating) this will not work. Alternatively, you might as well put 5*2 kW hardware store fans for €29.99 into the building and heat with electricity.