Many boilers have to go after 30 years | enbausa.de

In 2019, the chimney sweeps only label heat generators that were built before 1996. The responsible chimney sweeps are required to attach a corresponding label to old systems as part of regular inspections. After that, further years are included every year: in 2020 the years of manufacture 1996 to 1997 and in 2021 the years of manufacture 1998 to 2001 will follow. From 2024, devices older than 15 years will be marked. Since September 2015, new heating systems have required comparable labeling at European level with the EU energy label.

The label does not provide information on heating costs, only on the efficiency of the device type. "Since the systems to be labeled are 23 years and older and therefore more at risk of failure, the owners should definitely have it checked whether an exchange is worthwhile," says Frank Hettler from the Baden-Württemberg advisory program Zukunft Altbau. In many cases, renewal is economical from the age of 20. Especially if the boiler belongs to efficiency class C or D, it is technically outdated and consumes too much energy.

A boiler usually needs to be replaced after 30 years of operation. This is what the Energy Saving Ordinance EnEV envisages. Many homeowners with a heating system installed before 1989 will therefore have to have the boiler replaced in 2019. The numbers are significant: In 2019, more than one million old oil and gas heating systems in Germany had to be replaced. Homeowners can check the type plate, the chimney sweep report or the construction documents to see whether their heating is a Ü30 heating system and thus exceeds the statutory period.

The approximately 21 million heating boilers in Germany are too old and inefficient: on average, they are almost 17 years old. The figures come from a study by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management in mid-2015. Since then, nothing significant has changed. Around 17 percent of the boilers, around 3.5 million, are currently more than 25 years old. The proportion of boilers that are more than 30 years old is not shown, but according to estimates by experts it is well over a million.

Not all old heating systems are over after 30 years of operation: low-temperature and condensing boilers can continue to be operated. Constant-temperature boilers with a nominal output of four to 400 kilowatts, on the other hand, are subject to the replacement obligation. The obligation does not apply to those who live longer in their house, regardless of the type of heating they use: Residential buildings with fewer than three apartments, of which the owner lived in one apartment on the key date February 1, 2002, fall under the exception. If there is a change of ownership after February 1, 2002, the deadline for compliance for the new owner is two years. Chimney sweeps will check compliance with this deadline.

Homeowners have several options for determining the year of manufacture of the heat generator. First you should look at the type plate, advises Hermann Dannecker from the German Energy Advisory Network (DEN). "The sign is mounted or printed directly on the heating boiler and reveals the manufacturer, the output and the year of manufacture," says Dannecker. However, the type plate is not always easy to find, as the boiler is often insulated to prevent heat loss. The relevant information is located under the cover, for example on a metal plate.

Other options for determining the age are logs from the chimney sweep, the system invoice or data sheets, explains Dannecker. If no information is available at all, experts can help. With the chimney sweep inspection or heating maintenance, owners can have it clarified whether their heating should be retired. An exchange is usually not only worthwhile after 30 years. Experts recommend checking the condition after 20 years.

Frank Hettler from Zukunft Altbau advises anyone who replaces their old heating system to switch to renewable energies. Eco-heating protects the climate because it drastically reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared to oil or natural gas heating. A new heating system using fossil fuels, on the other hand, would serve between 15 and 25 years, i.e. emit significantly more of the harmful greenhouse gas by around 2040 - not good prospects for the coming generations. Eco-heating systems also increase independence from finite fossil fuels and their price fluctuations. The costs over the service life are often comparable to those of oil and natural gas heating systems, and regenerative heating systems are also not affected by a possible CO2 tax. Renewable energies are also useful because the money does not flow to the oil and natural gas exporting countries, but mostly stays in the country.

One renewable heating option is heat pumps: They take heat from the immediate environment and use electricity to "pump" this free environmental heat to a higher temperature level for heating and hot water - the technology works like an inverted refrigerator. Heat pumps are also worthwhile economically if the houses are well insulated and a low-temperature heating system is installed. Log wood or pellet boilers are other options. The central heating systems fit into every boiler room, are easy to operate and function largely automatically. A pellet store takes up about as much space as an oil tank. Overall, the acquisition and operating costs are similar to those of heating systems using fossil fuels.

Thermal solar systems can also be worthwhile. On an annual average, systems for water heating generate around two thirds of the required heat. The heating can then be switched off completely in summer. Those who also use the system to support the heating save further fuel costs. A heating-supporting solar thermal system is particularly useful if the heating system requires a buffer storage tank anyway - for example with wood heating systems.

From the point of view of the future of old buildings, it is also advisable to connect them to a heating network. If there is a heating network in the street or if a heating network is planned, the connection is usually a very sensible option. In the case of new heating networks in particular, the heat comes from efficient combined heat and power plants and renewable heat sources. To calculate the profitability, the heat price of the heat supplier is compared with the acquisition, operating and maintenance costs of your own heating system. This so-called full cost calculation is important because a mere comparison of the energy costs leads to incorrect results.

A financially supported refurbishment schedule or on-site advice from a qualified building energy consultant from the region shows which heating technology is suitable for which house, what needs to be done and which support programs offer support. Source: Zukunft Altbau / pgl