Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has promised state support for households to bid farewell to oil and gas heating. The heat issue should not become a social issue, said the Green politician on Tuesday at a meeting of the VKU municipal utility association in Berlin.

Habeck announces that the heating plans should be accompanied by a "major socio-political support measure" - as long as heat pumps are significantly more expensive than gas heating. Habeck spoke of public grants, at least for households that otherwise could not afford an exchange.

The minister defends the controversial plans to ban new gas and oil heating systems from 2024. New heating systems should then be operated with at least 65 percent renewable energies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Construction are working on a corresponding draft law.

The plans of the traffic light government

The SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed in the coalition agreement that from 2025 every newly installed heating system should run on 65 percent renewable energy sources. A year ago, the coalition decided to bring this forward by a year.

Habeck says that 75 percent of heating systems in Germany are still operated with natural gas and oil. "If we believe our Sunday speeches a little bit, then things can't stay like this," says the minister, referring to climate targets. You have to have this debate now. In his opinion, there is no alternative but to make the decision this year on how the heating sector will also be decarbonized.