“High costs, little yield” – FDP demands postponement of the new building standard EH 40
A little better for the climate, but comparatively expensive: houses with the efficiency house standard 40
Source: picture alliance/dpa/RENSCH-HAUS GMBH
Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz has criticized the Greens’ coalition partner’s plans for stricter insulation regulations. Now parts of the FDP are also harshly criticizing the Greens’ plans. The GEG has not yet been negotiated and it is time for reason.
Mworried about her criticism of the coalition partner Minister of Construction Klara Geywitz this week for attention. A few days ago, Geywitz criticized the planned insulation regulations from the Federal Ministry of Economics.
According to Geywitz, it would be questionable whether the additional costs for insulation would be proportionate to the energy saved. The building minister is thus distancing herself from the comprehensive plans for energy-efficient refurbishment by Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).
According to information from WELT, criticism of Habeck and his building insulation plans is now becoming broader within the coalition. Parts of the FDP agree with Geywitz’s criticism.
Both Sandra Weeser, Chairwoman of the Committee for Housing, Urban Development and Construction, and Daniel Föst, spokesman for construction and housing policy for the FDP parliamentary group, are targeting Habeck’s energy-related renovation project.
Weeser sometimes criticizes the plans of Economics Minister Habeck massively. She thinks it is “necessary for Building Minister Klara Geywitz to initiate a debate about the insulation regulations”.
Scientific studies have already shown that the Efficiency house standard 40 (EH 40) is significantly more expensive than the EH 55, but at the end of the day saves “only marginally more emissions”.
“In Germany we already have the highest insulation regulations and very restrictive fire protection. However, we have not yet reached our climate targets. This must finally lead to a rethinking,” said Weeser. It calls for a fundamental focus on emission rather than energy efficiency.
Weeser also harshly criticizes other energy-related building renovation measures from the Federal Ministry of Economics. “The plans from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection would mean unmanageable costs for many citizens,” says Weeser.
The arguments against an “ideology-driven” Building Energy Act (GEG) from the Ministry of Economics would be on the table: “High costs – low yield. A disaster from a business and economic point of view,” says Weeser.
EH-40 standard: Not accepted by the population
The benefit for the climate is not clearly verifiable. “The acceptance in the population is therefore rightly not given,” said Weeser WELT.
Weeser also announced that “in the further talks with our coalition partners, only scientific reason paired with economic sense will apply as a benchmark for decisions”. The GEG was “negotiated far from over”.
In addition, for Weeser, a “suspension, or at least a postponement, of the new building standard EH 40 makes sense”. “Even an EH 55 standard offers good opportunities for saving energy and thus makes an important contribution to climate protection,” said Weeser.
Criticism of the plans from the Ministry of Economics for energetic refurbishment of buildings also comes from Daniel Föst, construction and housing policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group.
On the question of insulation regulations, he was “complete with Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz,” he told WELT. “In future, sustainable building must focus on CO₂ savings. It’s no use if we keep raising the standards, which makes construction more and more expensive, but the CO₂ emissions remain too high,” says Föst.
Föst emphasized that the adjustment of the standards agreed in the coalition agreement would have to focus on CO₂ emissions. “In the end, it’s about emission efficiency and not about energy efficiency,” says Föst.
The FDP man considers a fundamental reform of the building energy law to be “reasonable”. “It is important to promote all measures that save CO₂ and prove to be economical with an open mind to technology. This is the only way we can resolve the conflict between affordability and climate protection in the long term,” said Föst. Otherwise, building – and with it rents – would become more and more expensive.
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