The assessment of the regulatory and support framework for domestic buildings in Germany from the perspective of long-term climate protection targets

In order to limit global warming to 2 °C, industrialised countries like Germany are obliged to de-carbonise their energy systems extensively by the middle of the century. The building sector – particularly the building stock – plays a pivotal role in the long-term climate protection strategies for Germany. Key control variables in this context are building standards, heat supply technologies and the sector allocation of limited renewable energy potentials. Based on existing normative long-term scenarios for the heating sector and using the residential building sector as a case study, this article assesses the current German policy framework for the building sector against the modelled long-term development needs.