Those affected by the flood disaster in Burgenland in June are now short of time when it comes to purchasing heating systems. Long waiting times and a lack of commitments from the disaster fund are making the situation more difficult: many are now facing a winter without heating.
With temperatures of 34 degrees, very few people are currently thinking about winter, not those who have been particularly affected by the floods. In addition to the enormous damage to homes and financial worries, the coming cold season is causing them many headaches. In many households, the heating systems have been completely destroyed by the flood. In most cases, the hot water supply could be restarted with temporary measures, but when it comes to replacing the boiler, the ‘cautious waiting’ rule still applies, even two months after the storm disaster.
Only a few customers have ordered yet
Of the approximately thirty customers, only five have currently ordered a new system, says installer Klaus Hagenauer of Markt Allhau. There is a great risk that they will be standing outside in the cold in winter. The reasons for the customers’ reluctance are diverse and often have to do with the fact that the disaster fund has not yet paid out.
Countless victims are impatiently waiting for the money. “The customers who are financially well positioned were able to react quickly when purchasing a heating system, but where they are dependent on the payment of insurance money or the disaster fund, the uncertainty for the customers is too great,” Hagenauer explains. The fact that the waiting time for a new boiler is around nine months does not make the situation any easier.
Full order books require companies to be flexible
The order books at construction technology companies are full anyway. “Our credo is to react flexibly,” says Andreas Karner, who runs a construction technology company in Bernstein. “We try to process orders based on urgency. Here too, we are dependent on our customers and their understanding when it comes to replacing a system that is not broken or setting up a new system because there is no heating in the house after the flood.”
Financing can only be activated once every ten years
Making matters worse, the high federal “Get Out of Oil and Gas” funding for boiler replacements and state funding can only be activated if the boiler was replaced more than a decade ago. “A lot of customers have already taken advantage of this and are falling over themselves. We have been very accommodating to our suppliers in these cases,” says Hagenauer.
The state points out that the current value of technical systems is being replaced by the disaster fund. However, there is good news when it comes to the disbursement of the money: all reports must be handed over to the communities by the end of this week. They can then instruct the experts, according to the office of Vice Governor Astrid Eisenkopf.
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.
