Runaway gas prices boost sales of oil-fired heating systems in Germany
RND
The drastic gas price increase has pushed the sale of heating systems burning oil in Germany.聽"From the beginning of January to the end of July, twelve percent more oil heaters were delivered by the manufacturers compared to the previous year,"聽according to聽the聽country鈥檚 heating industry federation聽(BDH).聽Some聽29,000聽oil聽systems were聽installed聽between January and July,聽the association the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). In 2021, a total of聽45,500 oil heaters聽were sold. Overall, some 930,000 heating systems per year are delivered in Germany.
While the price of heating oil has聽risen significantly聽as a result of the current energy crisis, the increase is not nearly as high as that of gas. Oil heating systems can still be installed in Germany until 2024, when the government will drastically limit聽their聽installation聽to聽very few exceptional cases聽to lower emissions in the heating sector. However, hybrid systems聽that聽cover 65 percent of the heat requirement with renewables聽by combining an oil聽burner with solar energy or heat pumps,聽will continue to be聽permitted. The BDH assumes that there will still be 1.36 million oil and bio-oil heating systems installed in Germany in 2045, when the country plans to become climate neutral.
According to comparison portal Verivox, gas has become around 235 percent more expensive within a year, while heating oil has聽risen聽114 percent聽in price. An average family currently saves around 1,000 euros聽a聽year with an oil heating system compared to a gas heating system.
