A clear demand
The German Heat Pump Association (BWP) and the BDH: Association for Efficiency and Renewable Energies, both organisations of which Mitsubishi Electric is a member, have released a joint position paper calling for a reduction in electricity prices.
of cutting-edge technology
The BDH reports that, of the nearly 21 million heat generators installed in Germany, only around 29 % correspond to the state of the art. The replacement of the outdated systems alone would save approximately 13 % of the final energy. Cutting-edge heat pump technology is featured in only 800,000 systems, corresponding to a proportion of only 4 %.
For interlinking sectors
As a heating system based on electricity, the heat pump can make an unrivalled contribution towards ensuring that the energy and climate goals set by the German government for the year 2050 can be met. This is because the technology is in a position to interlink the electricity and heat sectors as part of the increasing expansion of renewable energies, thereby reducing the consumption of fossil fuels that generate CO2.
fair electricity price
Compared with fossil fuels, electricity is currently associated with such costs that its use for room heating purposes can only be justified thanks to the particularly high efficiency of a heat pump. Whereas a kilowatt hour of natural gas or heating oil costs 6 to 7 euro cents, a kilowatt hour of electricity amounts to approximately 21 euro cents. However, as the heat pump requires only a small proportion of electricity for operation purposes in order to provide the required amount of heat, it still pays off even in spite of this price difference.
Nevertheless, further impetus for a significant and necessary expansion of the heat supply generated via heat pumps can only be provided by freeing the electricity price from additional levies, taxes and duties (to a certain extent). Both organisations therefore demand not only that the regulation of levies as part of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) be amended, but also that the electricity tax be abolished. Only with the help of these measures will it be possible to reduce the electricity price by approximately 20 %, making heating with heat pumps an even more attractive option than at present.