© dpa
In view of significantly increased energy costs, Berlin is launching an aid programme for households and businesses that heat with oil, pellets, coal or liquid gas.
This was announced by the Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) on Tuesday after the Senate meeting. Applications for a one-time grant of up to 2000 euros will be possible from the end of January. The programme is part of the Berlin Senate's relief package.
Giffey pointed to the federal government's measures to cap the cost of district heating, gas and electricity. "But there are 330,000 households in Berlin who will not benefit from this." For them, she said, the new assistance programme is intended. "This has been an important, unresolved point for us," said Giffey, "and also a question of fairness." In the supplementary budget, 75 million euros have been earmarked for heating subsidies. In addition, corresponding federal funds are to be used, to which Berlin is entitled in the amount of 93.4 million euros - a total of around 168 million.
The application, which has to be submitted digitally, is subject to the following rule: Those who had cost increases of more than 70 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year are to be relieved by the programme. The subsidy amounts to 80 per cent of the additional costs above this value. "If you look at it in concrete terms, for a single-family house with 90 square metres in Köpenick, if you buy 4,600 kilogrammes of coal, that's a one-time subsidy of 846.40 euros," explained State Secretary for Economic Affairs Michael Biel (SPD). For oil in a house of the same size, a subsidy of 319.20 euros is to be expected. "So it's not a small thing, but a real relief contribution," as Biel said. However, there is a "de minimis limit" of 100 euros - amounts below that are not taken into account.
According to the state secretary, there are 320,000 households in Berlin that heat with oil and 7800 that heat on the basis of pellets. "There are still 1900 homes using coal stoves, and a few hundred in the area of liquid gas systems." The owners of the respective heating systems are entitled to apply, he said. "These are the municipal housing associations or owners who, for example, own an apartment building," Biel explained - as well as those who, as tenants, purchased their coal or oil independently. According to Biel, the digital application tool for the subsidy is still in the works.
Giffey said that the heating cost subsidies are one of the last elements of the Berlin relief package. "We are getting through this winter well with it," said the governing mayor and SPD state chairwoman. "With the measures we have taken, we have done more than many other federal states. We were faster than many other federal states," Giffey emphasised. "We can truly say that everyone who lives in Berlin can be fortunate in this crisis, because we make things possible that are not possible elsewhere." Of course, one can always be happy to live in Berlin, Giffey added. "But especially during the crisis."
Biel also emphasised Berlin's pioneering role in the grant programme: "Other federal states, other state secretaries ask me if they can get the blueprint for a Berlin heating cost subsidy because we are the first federal state to technically put this into practice."