Market Incentive Program 2015 in Germany

With a volume of over 300 million euros per year, the Market Incentive Program (MAP) by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) is a key tool for development of renewable energies in the heating market.

For renewable energy, you can cover your heat energy demand for heating and hot water and make an important contribution to the Energiewende. You go and check the heating system of your one-, two- or multi-family house on solar thermal energy, biomass or an efficient heat pump and save not only heating costs, but also take advantage of attractive investment grants. The legislator has once again improved the options by April 1st, 2015 – especially in the modernization, but also in new buildings.

About the Market Incentive Program investors can encourage the purchase of solar heating systems. Funding will be provided upon request at the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) and is carried out at fixed rates per square meter of installed collector area. With effect from 01.04.2015 new subsidy rates for the Market Incentive Program (MAP) apply. Basic subsidy for installation of solar collectors for combined hot water and space heating is fixed at 140 €/qm. The minimum grant currently 2,000 € to be paid. For the simultaneous establishment of a solar heating system with a heat pump or a biomass boiler, a combination bonus of 500 € is given in addition to the minimum subsidy. An additional bonus of 500 € is given for a boiler replacement. The preliminary results for MAP 2015 show the benefits for solar thermal energy:

• Heat technologies benefit to varying degrees of the MAP amendment.
• Better position so far is visible for the heat pump (New building incentive).
• Since May strongly growing increases in application numbers for solar thermal (30%, 29%, 23%).
• As of August: the cumulative number of applications are still below previous year
• But: Significant backlog of BAFA!
• Collector sales are not satisfactory so far!>
• Process heat: Promotion of pellets/heat pumps!
• Heating optimization: no available data so far!

Source: ST market and communication Section of BSW, meeting: October 2015