Many property owners are facing difficulties in financing the Energiewende.

Energetische Sanierung: Energiewende kann teuer sein
Foto: Mark Hochleitner / iStockphoto / Getty Images
The affordability of the private energy transition is also dependent on the wallet. This is indicated by the results of a survey conducted by the state development bank KfW. According to the KfW Energy Transition Barometer, costs are hindering the actual implementation. In total, 41 percent of property owners stated that they cannot afford to invest in energy transition technologies. This represents a twelve percent increase compared to 2021. „We can already see that financial obstacles are at the top of the list,“ explained KfW Chief Economist Fritzi Köhler-Geib.
Zudem verhinderten die Vermutung, dass sich die Investition nicht lohne (39 Prozent), und der Mangel an Handwerkern (27 Prozent) eine Anschaffung. »Je leichter es Privathaushalten fällt, Energiewendetechnologien einzusetzen, desto weiter wird sich der Gebrauch auch ausdehnen«, sagte Köhler-Geib.
The number of households in Germany using at least one renewable energy technology has slightly increased. According to a KfW survey, the percentage has risen from 29 percent last year to 32 percent. This corresponds to approximately 13 million households. The most commonly used technologies are photovoltaic systems for electricity generation (12 percent), heat pumps and solar thermal systems for water heating or heating purposes (10 percent each).
According to KfW, four out of ten households with such technologies are considered to be high-income. Among low-income households, only a quarter have these energy transition technologies.
According to a survey, seven percent of households plan to invest in an energy transition technology within the current year – solar panels and battery storage being the most commonly mentioned options. Three percent of households stated their intention to purchase an electric car. As reported by KfW on Wednesday, nearly one-third of property owners are considering an energy-efficient renovation.
Das KfW-Energiewendebarometer ist eine seit 2018 jährlich erscheinende Studie auf Basis einer Umfrage von rund 4000 privaten Haushalten. Die Erhebung lief dieses Mal von Dezember 2022 bis April 2023. In Deutschland verantworten die Privathaushalte nach KfW-Angaben fast 40 Prozent der CO2-Emissionen.