Viessmann is one of those German family businesses that has always been particularly proud of its history. If you visit the headquarters in the Hessian province, you will be presented with an ancestral gallery. There is a "deeply felt responsibility for the family legacy," according to the website of the company, which grew up selling oil and gas boilers and is now to become the central supplier of heat pumps for the heat transition. And further: "With the strength of two generations, we see ourselves in a first-class position".

Hanna Decker

Editor in the economy.

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Uwe Marx

Editor in business.

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Now it seems as if the company has run out of strength for the big tasks that lie ahead. On Tuesday, the F.A.Z. learned that Viessmann is selling its core business to Florida-based air conditioning manufacturer Carrier Global. A sum of twelve billion euros is in the room. Only a few marginal divisions are to remain in the hands of Viessmann. The pressure from the major Asian manufacturers pushing into the German market has apparently become too great.

Lindner renews criticism of Building Energy Act

The German government reacted with a wait-and-see approach. Government sources said that the market for heat pumps was attractive, so it attracted investment capital. It is important for all investment projects in Germany that the advantages of German energy policy and the profits generated by it continue to benefit the German location. The Federal Government will pay attention to this.

At an event in Berlin, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) renewed his criticism of the amendment to the Building Energy Act, which the cabinet passed last week. Accordingly, with exceptions, from January 1, 2024, only heating systems that are powered by 65 percent renewable energies may be installed in Germany. Lindner said that the adaptability of companies must be taken into account in legislation. "After all, a law can be changed faster than a production line."

Viessmann builds new plant in Poland

FDP parliamentary group chairman Christian Dürr also warned the F.A.Z. on Tuesday against "hasty measures in the heat transition". The German heating market is facing major upheavals. Manufacturers would hardly have the opportunity to convert their production in the shortest possible time. "Nothing would be gained if we were to become an importer of Chinese heat pumps in the future, but small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany would no longer be able to produce," Dürr said. Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) had referred to the international competition on Sunday in the program "Anne Will" and thus tried to justify the start date of January 1, 2024 for the Building Energy Act. Planning security is important for German SMEs.