Where is the affordable warmth? Stadtwerke raise the alarm!

Where is the affordable warmth? Stadtwerke raise the alarm!

The alarm bells shrill in Germany's district heating centers! A shattering survey by the Association of Local Company (VKU) shows that proud 41 percent of the municipal utilities consider affordable heat supply to be endangered. Only a measly 38 percent guarantee stability in heating costs for the future. What does that mean? A colossal investment requirement of 721 billion euros to switch from natural gas and oil to environmentally friendly district heating. What a bang!

Professor Manuel Frondel from the renowned Leibniz Institute knows what that means: "The energy giants will have no choice but to pass on these horrendous costs to us consumers!" By 2045, switching to renewable energies is mandatory - every household will be directly affected. Almost all municipal utilities expect immense investments to bring the district heating infrastructure up to scratch. Ingbert Liebing, Supreme Boss of the VKU, criticizes: "End with the constant political zigzag course, we need clear conditions!"

The cost explosion rolls up!

energy experts like Liebing raise the alarm: Without the right incentives, the district heating expansion remains an air number. The current federal funding is a drop on the hot stone - by 2034, such sums have to flow instead of 3.5 billion a year! Attention, consumer: In 2025, heating with fossil fuels becomes even more expensive, because the CO2 tax attracts 45 to 55 euros per ton. According to the latest data, over 70 percent are still heating with natural gas and heating oil - the cost trap grabs!