Heating check mandatory in Germany

The German government has already adopted numerous measures to counter the energy crisis in the winter of 2022/2023. On October 1, further measures are to come into force, including the so-called heating check. That's according to a statement from the German government.

Accordingly, owners of houses and apartments must have the check addressed carried out by a craftsman's business. The "Measures of the Ordinance to Secure the Energy Supply through Measures Effective in the Medium Term" - EnSimiMav for short - are to apply until 2024, as the Federal Ministry of Economics announced in a statement.

The background to the heating check is suboptimal settings of many systems in Germany. According to the Ministry of Economics, a lot of energy can be saved through optimization. For example, the heating systems are still in the factory setting or without night setback.

Part of the German government's energy-saving measure is also hydraulic balancing, which can distribute the heating water optimally. However, this only applies to buildings with a central heat supply, such as large public buildings. According to official government figures, this measure should reduce gas consumption by up to eight kilowatt hours per square meter, depending on the building. The sticking point here is that the costs of such a hydraulic adjustment are borne by the owners and landlords. According to the German government's plans, inefficient heating pumps will also have to be replaced. Circulation pumps are an example of this.

Of a total of 14 million gas heating systems in Germany, only one fifth have undergone a heating check, according to the German government. Millions of heating systems therefore still need to be checked and, if necessary, replaced. Only heating engineers and energy consultants - in other words, specialist personnel - are allowed to carry out these checks. This also has the effect that the order situation in the trade is likely to be very good.

Image by Gerd Altmann