There is a great willingness to replace heating systems

In Austria, 1.2 million heating systems should be replaced because they still burn fossil fuels. Since January 1, 2024, households have received around 75 percent subsidies when switching from their oil and gas heating to an environmentally friendly pellet heating system or heat pump.

Every second homeowner is willing to change, one in five even wants to change in the next two years, seven out of ten in the next five years, according to the survey from the beginning of February.

The problem is that one in two people who want to change do not feel well informed. A third of property owners have not heard of the 75 percent funding, which is particularly problematic because affordability is a major hurdle for the majority of homeowners.

“The biggest pain point for homeowners when it comes to heating is the high fuel costs,” says the association as the main reason for a willingness to switch. Half of the homeowners surveyed still heat with natural gas central heating or oil or liquid gas central heating. Key motives cited by people thinking about replacing a heater are cost savings (96%), lower maintenance (94%) and quick installation (91%).

High demand from heating manufacturers

Ökofen boss Stefan Ortner reported in a press conference on Tuesday morning that there was a lot of momentum that had returned to the market with the high subsidies. “We have almost as many inquiries this year as we did last year” regarding pellet heating systems. He would like the end customer to contact the heating manufacturers “without panic but with a plan.” After registering with various funding platforms, you have several months to implement the heating replacement project.

Depending on the house and heating, the costs range between 22,000 and 34,000 euros – the funding is deducted from this, says Ortner. “A few thousand euros remain at the end.”

A pellet heating system saves 170 tons of CO2 compared to a fossil heating system, which is half of what it would take to do without a combustion car that travels 15,000 km per year, so it makes a lot of sense for climate protection.

Funding calculator

A subsidy calculator on www.propellets.at is intended to help you understand the decision to replace your heating system financially. The funding varies depending on the federal state; this is taken into account in this funding calculator.