Stiebel Eltron Survey: Reducing CO2 Emissions
Are We Ready to Give up Oil and Gas?
For 80 percent of the population in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it is important to reduce CO2 emissions in order to protect the climate. A clear majority of a good 60 percent is in favour of doing without traditional oil-fired heating in the future. These are results of the Energy Trend Monitor 2021, for which 3,000 consumers in the D-A-CH region were surveyed by a market research institute on behalf of Stiebel Eltron.
In order to protect the climate, people in Austria and Switzerland are prepared to completely do without oil and gas heating systems – even in old buildings (Austria: 68 percent, Switzerland: 59 percent approval). In Germany, 63 percent are in favour of the next federal government banning new oil heating systems in principle – 53 percent of those surveyed are against gas heating systems.
Energy transition will be successful with heat pump technology
“The willingness of private households to switch to clean energy is an important success factor for climate protection – because the energy transition will only work if people adopt green technology in the central heating room,” says Dr. Nicholas Matten, Managing Director of Stiebel Eltron, supplier of technology products for building services and green tech. “Current studies show that the German climate targets in the building sector, for example, can hardly be achieved without a massive expansion of heat pump technology to replace fossil heating burners.”
Use of environmental energy for heating
The heat pump works like a ‘reverse refrigerator’: environmental energy from the ground, groundwater or ambient air is used to heat the living spaces. Electricity is needed for driving the heat pump.
Yet, in Germany in particular, the price of electricity is very high – half of the price is made up of taxes, levies, and surcharges. As a result, consumers pay the highest electricity prices in Europe. “This is not compatible with climate protection goals,” says Dr Matten. Almost all experts agree that the heat pump is the environmentally friendly heating system that will prevail in the long run, both in new and existing buildings.
