Bundestag passes building energy law
3 min.
On June 19, 2020, the Bundestag passed the Building Energy Act (GEG). In future, this law will bring together all legal requirements in the area of buildings and renewable energies. If the Bundestag approves the law in July, it could come into force at the beginning of October 2020.
The legislative process has been underway for several years. It was actually intended to standardize and simplify the requirements in the building sector. The Building Energy Act (GEG) is unlikely to become any clearer. Although it will replace several other laws (such as the EnEV and the EEWärmeG), many complicated requirements, more comprehensive regulations and references do not make the Building Energy Act any simpler than its predecessors.
The most important point for building owners first: the GEG does not affect the requirements for new builds. The currently mandatory minimum level of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) is declared to be the lowest energy building and therefore remains valid. Another part of the Bundestag decision was the removal of the so-called 52-gigawatt solar cap in the EEG.
Structural thermal insulation as a basis
The Building Energy Act focuses on limiting the energy requirements of a building through high-quality structural thermal insulation, primarily through good insulation, good windows and the avoidance of thermal bridge losses. The law therefore places the principle of energy saving above that of more environmentally friendly energy generation and primarily pursues the approach of keeping the primary energy demand of buildings low. Renewable energies should then cover the remaining energy requirements.
While there will be hardly any changes in the area of new construction, some tightening is planned for used properties, such as the use of oil heating systems. However, the energy requirements for renovation measures will not be tightened.
According to Article 82 of our Basic Law, each law can decide for itself when it comes into force. We have seen in recent weeks that this can also be at very short notice. If a law does not specify a date from which it comes into force - and no date is specified in the draft GEG - then, according to the Basic Law, it comes into force "on the fourteenth day after the end of the day on which the Federal Law Gazette has been issued."
In the optimistic version, the GEG could therefore come into force from August 1, 2020, although the draft law itself, as far as is publicly known, sets a number of transition dates.
Would you like to know whether it is worth optimizing the energy efficiency of your property before selling it? Get in touch with us! We will be happy to advise you.
Did not find what you were looking for:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEG
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/erneuerbare-energien/solarenergie
Legal notice: This article does not constitute tax or legal advice in individual cases. Please consult a lawyer and/or tax advisor to clarify the facts of your specific individual case.
Photo: © synovec/Depositphotos.com
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