Real estate: Homeowners can rent heating systems instead of buying them

Stuttgart (dpa/tmn) - A gas condensing boiler easily costs between 6000 and 8000 euros. If it is combined with solar thermal energy or a heat pump, for example, more than 10,000 euros are due. Not everyone has such a sum in reserve.

Instead of paying cash, the homeowner can take out a loan. Or he can lease a heater - similar to what is done with a car.

The energy industry speaks of contracting here. Providers of such rental heating systems are mostly energy suppliers who work together with heating engineers and craft businesses. The customer concludes a contract and transfers a basic price for the system every month. Prices between 70 and 100 euros are advertised, plus the consumption costs.

In return, the provider takes care of the installation and maintenance of the system. He even covers the fees for the chimney sweep. And in the event of a fault, a 24-hour service is available. Providers sell these services as an all-inclusive package.

But on the market, they have a hard time with such promises. According to Isabell Bilger from the Association for Energy and Water Management, there are no "reliable figures" on the market development for private customers, but there is feedback from the member companies that shows "a rather stagnant market".

The suppliers attribute the reluctance of customers to the low interest rates and energy costs, explains Bilger. In addition, it is difficult to find craftsmen who are willing to cooperate, as their order books are full. Frank Ebisch from the Central Association for Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning is similarly critical: "Private customers are not particularly interested in it. They want to be in control of their heating and their house." He suspects that consumers are afraid of sitting by the cold heater in winter because the provider cannot keep their promises or go bankrupt.

Contracting is not a new model, however. The suppliers do their main business with housing associations and other companies. Instead of heating, they usually get their own combined heat and power plant (CHP), which also generates electricity. But since it has been possible to produce CHPs the size of a washing machine, single-family and smaller apartment buildings have come into question. In the private sector, however, gas condensing boilers are the most frequently installed systems.

The contracts are usually concluded with the owner of a property for a period of ten years. Depending on the conditions, the customer can take over the heating free of charge or at the residual value after the end of the contract. For larger systems, a continuation of the contract is often agreed.

"In general, contracting is not automatically cheaper than own investment," says Bilger. "However, it takes away the operating risk from the client over the term of the contract and dampens cost increases over the term." The larger the project, the more worthwhile this type of contract is in their opinion. Low-income homeowners also took advantage of the offers, reports Bilger. Because they often lack the own funds for a new heating system.

Carla Groß from the consumer advice center in Saxony is skeptical about the offers. The profit is clearly and primarily made by the provider. The problem is the contract period. "The general contractual provisions for district heating usually apply," explains Groß. These provide for a maximum term of ten years and five years for an extension. "The contractor can thus secure his investment and his profit."

Anyone who lives in the property themselves should look at the contract terms that apply at the end of the term. "By then, part of the system has certainly already been paid for, but it still doesn't belong to the contractor." Groß sees advantages for landlords: They do not have to worry about the heating and can pass the additional costs directly on to the tenants via the heating bill.