Climate speed bonus: which heating qualifies and for how much longer
The bonus rewards an early exit from oil, coal and old gas boilers and shrinks every six months. What matters is the system you remove and the day KfW receives your application.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Apply now or later?
Grant on that date
€11,445
| Climate speed bonus | 12 % |
| If you apply now | €12,880 |
| Waiting costs | €1,435 |
Income above €50,000, so no income bonus.
The climate speed bonus (Klimageschwindigkeitsbonus) is a top-up on the KfW 458 heating grant for owners who live in the property and replace a working oil, coal, night storage or gas flat heater of any age, or a gas or biomass boiler that had been in service for at least 20 years on the application date. It is 16 % for applications up to 31 January 2027, 12 % from 1 February 2027, 8 % from 1 August 2027 and 4 % from 1 February 2028. Applications from 1 August 2028 get nothing. So it has not been abolished, and the former 20 % applies only to applications made by 20 July 2026. Example: a household on €80,000 replaces its oil boiler with a €30,000 heat pump. Applying now brings €12,880, from February 2027 €11,445, and from August 2028 only €7,500, because the cost cap falls too.
Which old system triggers the bonus
The guideline sets up two groups. Oil, coal, gas flat heaters (Gasetagenheizung) and night storage heaters qualify whatever their age, as long as they still work. Central gas boilers and biomass boilers must have been in service for at least 20 years on the application date (BEG EM guideline, no. 8.4.4). A broken system does not qualify on the wording, because the text requires the replacement of a “working” heating system.
| Old system | Bonus | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Oil boiler | yes | any age, in working order |
| Coal boiler or stove | yes | any age, in working order |
| Night storage heaters | yes | any age, in working order |
| Gas heater per flat | yes | any age, in working order |
| Central gas boiler | from 20 years | counted from commissioning to the application |
| Biomass boiler | from 20 years | counted from commissioning to the application |
| Heat pump, district heating, no heating | no | no fossil system replaced |
Two further duties come with the bonus. The old system must be removed and disposed of by a professional, and afterwards no fossil or gas-fired heating may supply the homes. The only exceptions are fuel cells and hydrogen-ready heating. An oil boiler kept as a backup next to the heat pump costs you the bonus.
Owner-occupiers only, own home only
You get the bonus if you own the property and are registered there as your main residence when KfW receives the application. A landlord with the same house and costs gets the basic grant only: €8,400 instead of €12,880 (grants for landlords). In a building with several homes, the bonus is calculated only on the share of the home you live in. A two-family house with an oil boiler and €46,000 of costs receives €16,340: basic grant on the whole building, bonus on half. You prove owner-occupation with your registration certificate (Meldebestätigung) and land register extract when submitting evidence (information sheet 458). A German home you use only on visits, while your main residence is abroad, does not qualify.
The steps until August 2028
Only the date on which KfW receives the application matters. Installation, contract or approval dates do not change the rate. On the same dates the cap on eligible costs for the first home also falls, by €750 each time.
| Application from | Bonus | Cost cap | Grant at €80,000 | at €35,000 | at €25,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 October 2026 | 16 % | €28,000 | €12,880 | €19,600 | €22,400 |
| 1 February 2027 | 12 % | €27,250 | €11,445 | €19,075 | €21,800 |
| 1 August 2027 | 8 % | €26,500 | €10,070 | €18,020 | €20,670 |
| 1 February 2028 | 4 % | €25,750 | €8,755 | €16,480 | €19,055 |
| 1 August 2028 | 0 % | €25,000 | €7,500 | €15,000 | €17,500 |
The table shows who is hit hardest. Without the income bonus the grant drops from €12,880 to €7,500, a loss of €5,380. On €25,000 the 80 % ceiling already trims part of the bonus today, so until February 2027 that household only loses the effect of the lower cost cap. For higher earners the first cut-off on 1 February 2027 is the most expensive: €1,435 for a few weeks of delay.
Your income bonus
Income bonus
40 %
| Income counted | €28,000 |
| Overall ceiling | 80 % |
| Grant on €28,000 (gas, 20 years) | €22,400 |
A gas boiler just short of 20 years
One case deserves its own calculation. A central gas boiler that has run for 19 years earns only the basic grant today: €8,400 in our example house. A year later it would be €12,880 with the bonus, if the application still arrives by 31 January 2027, or €11,445 at the 12 % rate. Waiting pays here, as long as the old boiler holds out. If it fails first, the bonus is lost, because only working systems count.
Planning, advice and even the contract with a grant clause may come before the anniversary. The application itself must arrive once the year is complete, otherwise KfW checks the age on the wrong date. How contract and application fit together is explained under how to apply.
What the bonus is not
The climate speed bonus is neither an obligation nor a penalty. Since 29 July 2026 the Building Modernisation Act no longer requires a new heating system to run on 65 % renewable energy (keeping an oil boiler, installing a new gas boiler). The bonus is simply the financial incentive to switch earlier. It was cut from 20 % to 16 % at the relaunch on 21 July 2026 (KfW press release). Another top-up really has disappeared: the efficiency bonus for heat pumps. The climate bonus combines with the income bonus until the ceiling is reached. The grant calculator shows the amount for your house and date, and KfW 458 gives the full picture.