Poor Energy Class (F/G/H)

What does it mean?

The building sits in a low efficiency class, so heating costs are high now. The GEG does not require you to replace a working heating system — but any newly installed heating, or a replacement after an irreparable breakdown, must run on at least 65% renewable energy (§ 71 GEG), and fossil-fuel heating may not be operated after 2045 (§ 72 GEG). Older buildings can also carry retrofit duties (Nachrüstpflichten — e.g. top-floor and pipe insulation; constant-temperature boilers over 30 years old must be decommissioned). In a condo (WEG) these costs are shared via your Miteigentumsanteil; in a house you bear them in full.

Is this a problem when buying?

Something to clarify before buying. Not an automatic deal-breaker, but worth checking.

What you should do as a buyer

Check the heating system's age and type — condensing and low-temperature boilers are exempt from the § 72 decommissioning rule, an over-30-year constant-temperature boiler is not. Ask what modernisation the WEG has planned, check the reserve (Instandhaltungsrücklage), and budget for an eventual 65%-renewable heating swap.

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