On behalf of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (bdew), the market research institute prolytics investigates in this year's study "How does Germany heat?" which heating systems and energy sources are used to heat Germany's households. The age of the systems is also evaluated. Apartments and single-family houses are counted as "housing units." In multi-family houses, the residential units are evaluated individually.
According to study results, the average age of heating systems is 17 years. Of these, more than half are older than 15 years, and one in four heating systems is even older than 25 years. The need for modernization measures or the replacement of outdated heating systems remains high. It is encouraging that a large number of households are turning to alternative energy sources after modernization. Heating with natural gas is particularly popular. According to the study, oil heating systems have been replaced with natural gas heating systems in around 275,000 buildings over the past ten years.
In a comparison of the German states, most residential units in Lower Saxony, at over 60 percent, are heated with natural gas. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, too, natural gas heating systems are used in more than half of the households. In Berlin and Hamburg, as in eastern Germany, the use of district heating is most widespread, with a share of over 30 percent. In southern Germany, on the other hand, oil-fired central heating systems are used most, with a share of around 40 percent.
Source: bdew
© fotolia.com
