Magazine for Heating Technology 43rd Year 2011 Issue 2 Modernizing the building stock – towards a sustainable energy system Contents Publisher: Oil is said to drive the global Editorial Products Dr. Martin Viessmann economy. But the era of “cheap oil” Editorial office: is over – page 6. 2 Energy efficiency is our most 20 Vitosolar 300-F Manfred Greis Jörg Schmidt important resource Easy-to-install heating center Michael Wagner A sustainable energy system with solar central heating Doris Hofmann Alexander Tinter requires modernization of the back-up Wolfgang Rogatty building stock Carsten Lucaßen 21 Vitorondens 200-T and 222-F Photographs: 4 News Efficient oil condensing Ludwig Berchtold, Vorarlberg German Founders Award/Franziska Krug technology at an affordable dpa Picture-Alliance GmbH, Frankfurt Oil price Karl Duschek Frank Feisel Florian Freund, Munich 6 Crude oil: important raw 22 Vitodens 300-W Jörg Hempel Photodesign, Aachen Marcus Kaufhold, Wiesbaden material, highly valued as a Flow balancing in less than Rolf Kosecki, Sportbild-Agentur, Bonn fuel one hour Rüdiger Nehmzow, Düsseldorf “Studio-S” – Seekamp GmbH, Bremen Company 23 Vitotwin 300-W Layout: Stankowski + Duschek Innovative technology with Alexander Tinter 10 Dr. Viessmann wins German dual function Lithography and printing: Founders Award Bernecker Mediengruppe Practical applications 34212 Melsungen Dr. Viessmann (here being inter- Germany viewed by TV news presenter 11 Perfect delivery is an essential Marietta Slomka) has been honored service element for trade 24 KWT heat pump used for Editorial office address: Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co KG with the German Founders Lifetime partners heating and cooling Achievement Award – page 10. Corporate Communications OTTO Luft- und Klimatechnik 35107 Allendorf (Eder) Germany 12 New Herford GmbH opens state-of-the-art Phone: +49 (0) 64 52 / 70 24 93 regional sales office has office building Fax: +49 (0) 64 52 / 70 54 93 Email: [email protected] carbon-neutral energy supply Internet: www.viessmann.de 26 Two Mawera woodchip Cover: 14 BIOFerm: first dry boilers supply large monastery Graphical interpretation of this issue’s title by fermentation digester in complex of St. Ottilien’s Karl Duschek. the Americas Archabbey Second cover page: Whether for new construction or modernization: a solar thermal system for central heating back- 15 One-millionth vacuum Viessmann Selection up helps to conserve precious energy. solar tube manufactured at Third cover page: Viessmann Dachang 28 Enjoy the finer side of winter The Biathlon World Championships “Multi-talented” oil provides fuel for trans- portation, generates heat for buildings and is in Ruhpolding, Germany are a an important starting material, for example in much-anticipated highlight of the 16 Combined heating and power Sport producing plastics. 2011/2012 winter sports season – systems from ESS Energie page 30. Systeme & Service GmbH 30 Biathlon World Championships in Ruhpolding – 18 Portrait of a Viessmann A highlight of the 2011/2012 Group member: winter sports season Köb Holzheizsysteme GmbH 31 Viessmann supports Portrait “House of Athletes” in Garmisch-Partenkirchen 19 Vorarlberg – home to mountains and innovations Classics 32 Visual communication of oil 1 Energy efficiency is our most important resource A sustainable energy system requires modernization of the building stock Far-reaching changes have been This raises the following ques- constructed before the first thermal The date of January 1, 2012, initiated in German energy tions: insulation and heating system when the law was to go into policy. The federal government 4Can the two-degree target even regulations came into effect in effect, would alone have been has decided to phase out nuclear be reached? 1977 and 1978 and remain largely highly problematic. As a result, the power earlier than planned, 4Will we soon have to completely uninsulated today. Fewer than 20 heating market would have largely marking a paradigm shift in energy forego fossil energy? percent of the 17.5 million existing come to a standstill in the second policy. The declared aim is to 4Can the German government heating systems are at the current half of this year. Moreover, the accelerate the transition to adhere to their climate protec- state of the art. What is more, draft law specified the tax renewable energies. But is such a tion objectives, now that it has heating systems are only replaced incentive not for individual changeover possible? And what decided to accelerate the every 25 years on average. measures but exclusively for consequences does it have for the phase-out of nuclear power? According to expert calculations, at complete modernizations, which heating market? 4What costs will result from least 30 percent more energy is would have reduced the energy converting the energy supply? being used than is necessary. demand of these buildings to 85 The challenges are enormous: And who will be responsible for percent of the standard for new reserves of fossil fuels are finite, them? Many home owners are aware that buildings. To meet this require- and the world population currently investing in the energy efficiency ment, investments on the order of consumes as much of them in one of their buildings not only helps to significantly more than 50,000 year as were created in one million Potential of renewables protect the environment but also euros for a single-family home years. However, it is no longer insufficient saves heating costs and increases would have been necessary – an seriously disputed today that the the value of their real estate. But amount that is simply too much for CO2 emissions generated from At the current level of energy hardly any progress has been many home owners. Affordable combusting coal, oil and gas have consumption, the potential offered made in modernizing existing individual measures which would played a significant role in global by renewable energy sources will building heating equipment. have achieved the same objective warming in the past 50 years. not be sufficient to cover demand, in a series of steps would not have even in the long run. Nearly 40% been covered. of current energy consumption Eliminating the backlog of Global climate change must would first have to be eliminated deferred modernization: Ultimately, the German Bundesrat be limited by increasing efficiency. Beyond framework conditions must rejected the bill in its entirety this, effective means of storing be changed because the German states feared Scientists and policy-makers agree energy must be created. Only then high tax revenue losses and also that the temperature increase can demand be completely met by A political framework must be questioned the social fairness of relative to the pre-industrial era renewables. In this sense, energy established to eliminate the the law, arguing that tax write-offs must not exceed two degrees efficiency is our most important backlog of deferred modernization. would unfairly favor those with Celsius if we want to avoid global resource. Even before the Fukushima higher incomes. climate change with its uncontrol- tragedy, policy-makers have been lable consequences. To achieve aware of the problems and have Through mid-September, it was this, CO2 emissions relative to Buildings consume the most been working at various levels to unclear whether a mediation 1990 must be cut in half by the energy establish measures to achieve the committee would be appointed to year 2050. But up to now they ambitious targets. But the get the legislative procedure back have increased 40 percent. One thing is certain: modernizing previously planned increase in on track. If this does not happen, the energy systems of existing funding to promote modernization the government risks obstructing buildings is a key prerequisite for will no longer be enough. Addition- its own energy and climate policy the future viability of the energy ally, there were significant goals. supply. Building heating accounts problems with the German for nearly 40 percent of energy government’s bill to reinstate tax No one can expect the govern- consumption, a greater share than write-offs for modernization costs ment to finance building moderni- transportation and generating in owner-occupied residences zation from the national budget. electricity, and has been anything proposed this past May. But the German government must but energy efficient up to now. provide stimulus to mobilize For example, 75 percent of existing private capital to achieve its buildings in Germany were political aims. It has been proven that one euro of subsidies 2 Editorial Clear communication The political aims must be communicated clearly and unambiguously, to give investors a solid foundation. It must be realized that the problem in the market is not one of technology, rather of implementation. Reorientation of regulations Regulations should be realigned by combining the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) and the Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG). Moreover, landlord and tenant law must be reformed to resolve the split incentive problem. Consistent incentives Attractive financial incentives generates seven to eight euros of progressively reduce the subsidy in steps, so as not to overwhelm should be established for investors investment. The additional VAT over the years. There are many investors. Subsidies must not be – not only by increasing funding for alone would more than offset the ways this could be structured, but limited to complete modernization building refurbishment and market loss of income tax revenues. the important thing is to take in a single, all-encompassing incentive programs but also by Thus costs are not a valid action now. If nothing is done, the project. introducing tax write-offs for argument, as experience from the transition to a new energy era is in modernizing the energy systems early 1990s has shown, when acute danger of failing. Modernization only makes of owner-occupied single- and subsidies for pension scheme economic sense when it is two-family homes. The most contributions were introduced co-ordinated with the typical important thing, however, is that under the German Income Tax Act.