The Greens only reluctantly gave up on the mandatory heating replacement, but received more money in return. The Minister of Finance initially wanted to cut back on climate protection.
The Greens’ departure from the mandatory exchange of gas and oil heating systems has caused more problems in the turquoise-green coalition than the ÖVP and the Greens want to officially admit. The Greens had to fight hard to say goodbye to the renewable heat law, which is so important to them. And they are angry with their coalition partner. From the start, the ÖVP did little to ensure an agreement with the SPÖ. The approval of the Social Democrats would have been necessary because the law is two-thirds in existence.
The city of Vienna needs alternatives to gas
The Vienna Reds in particular need a legal framework to oblige apartment building owners to exchange gas heating systems. There are approximately 650,000 apartments in the federal capital. “The Reds now have to see for themselves how they can get rid of the gas,” said a Green.
The eco party now consoles itself with significantly more funding for voluntary heating replacement. Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) originally wanted to make cuts to the generous budget of Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). Now Gewessler has another billion to replace the heating system. The question, however, is whether all this money will actually be raised. People in rental apartments depend on the landlord to replace the heating system. About half of fossil heating systems (45.1 percent) are in rental apartments (see graph).
Here you see a graph about heating and living conditions in Austria.
1.6 million heating appliances would have to be replaced
This means about 720,000 households will have to hope for favor from their homeowners, said Katharina Mader, chief economist at the Momentum Institute. She also criticizes the funding as too low. “1.6 million heating appliances in Austria need to be replaced. Converted per heating system, the current amount amounts to a small subsidy of 625 euros.”
She further recommends a legal obligation to replace heating systems, including a mix of measures. Landlords need to be held more accountable, Mader said.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
