Phasing out gas heating in apartments and residential buildings by 2040, as planned by politicians, would cost the approximately 910,000 affected households up to 84 billion euros – economic researcher Anna Kleissner of Econmove has calculated. “From now until 2040, that means at least 5 billion euros in costs every year,” Kleissner said on Monday.
To use a new air source heat pump, a building would have to be brought up to the latest state of the art, says Kleissner. The annual renovation rate is currently an average of 1.5 percent per year and costs around 6 billion euros annually. The renovations should then be accelerated considerably.
Older buildings in urgent need of renovation
For buildings built before 1980, a total renovation would cost 1250 euros per square meter, for houses built between 1980 and 2000, this would be about 400 euros per square meter. According to the economic researcher, only buildings built in the past two decades would not require special renovation work.
Of the total costs of 84 billion euros, the lion’s share of 55 billion euros would go to the necessary renovations. According to Kleissner, the investment and maintenance costs of replacing gas heating systems with wood chip or pellet heaters, air source heat pumps and solar or district heating would amount to around EUR 15 to 26 billion.
Switching to green gas proposed
A switch to green gas would make more sense than a total phase-out of gas heating – so no gas heating in new buildings, no replacement of existing gas heating, replacement of gas with district heating, heat pumps and pellets – says Manfred Denk, federal guild master of sanitary, heating and and ventilation technicians. The installers are not at all concerned with the disappearance of gas heating activities, Denk emphasized, on the contrary, the installation of heat pumps is at least as labour-intensive.
Potential for biomethane is up to 4 billion cubic meters
According to the “Alliance for Green Gas”, the potential for biomethane in Austria is up to 4 billion cubic meters and for Austrian green hydrogen more than 1.5 billion cubic meters per year. With these quantities, the demand for gas heating in Austria (about 1.6 billion cubic meters) can easily be covered without being dependent on other countries. The Alliance for Green Gas is an association of energy suppliers, property managers, installation companies and companies in the industry.
Global 2000 against green gas
The environmental organization Global 2000 has little to gain from the use of green gas for heating and accuses the gas industry of standing in the way of climate-friendly solutions for a clean and safe heat supply.
Environmentalists say climate-friendly alternatives to gas are cheaper than running gas stoves on renewable gas. “Costs are 40 to 50% higher when using renewable gas,” notes Global 2000 in its own study.
Source: Krone
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