Heat networks on 26 Aug 2026: planned Wärmenetzgesetz, AVBFernwärmeV/FFVAV changes and a federal price-transparency platform—budgeting 2027 district heat in Munich and Frankfurt

What changed on 26 August 2026

On 26 August 2026 the Federal Cabinet adopted “Eckpunkte” for a Wärmenetzpaket. The key points instruct the economics ministry to draft a new Wärmenetzgesetz that reorganises the market rules for district heat and merges existing ordinances. The package also introduces a mandatory federal price‑transparency platform where all district‑heat suppliers will have to publish prices, tariff structures and structural parameters at least annually. The Cabinet text is explicit about the platform and the consolidation of rules. A government explainer confirms the mandate to prepare the Wärmenetzgesetz on this basis. Stakeholder releases on the same day emphasise transparency, a sector‑specific dispute‑resolution body and ex‑post federal price oversight being prepared alongside. These measures are not yet in force; they are the basis for a bill to follow.

What still applies for 2027 budgeting

Until the Wärmenetzgesetz is enacted, two federal ordinances continue to govern contracts and billing:

- AVBFernwärmeV. This sets minimum contractual standards, including how price‑adjustment clauses must be designed. § 24 requires that clauses reflect both supplier cost trends and heat‑market conditions; it also bans one‑sided changes by mere public notice and obliges suppliers to publish current terms and price components online.

Operator plans due by 31 December 2026

Separately from the cabinet package, the Wärmeplanungsgesetz (WPG) already in force requires every district‑heat operator that is not yet fully supplied by renewables or unavoidable waste heat to prepare and publish a Wärmenetzausbau‑ und Dekarbonisierungsfahrplan by 31 December 2026. This matters for 2027 budgets: these plans must set out the decarbonisation path and investment schedule and must be published on the operator’s website, then reviewed at least every five years. In Bavaria the state portal explains the same duty and the digital submission route.

Munich (SWM): use the quarterly index formula

SWM publishes both the current price sheet and the exact index formula that moves the work price (AP) and base price (GP). For example, as of 1 April 2026 the work price for the hot‑water network is €98.63/MWh net (€117.37/MWh gross) and the base price is €47.54/kW·year net (€56.57 gross). SWM also states that it adjusts prices quarterly—on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October—and shows the formula weights: AP = AP0 × (0.10 + 0.45×KE + 0.45×ME), where KE combines EEX Gas, EUA (CO2), EEX Power, the investment‑goods index (IG) and wages; ME combines EEX Gas and heating oil (HEL). The published table lists the base values and quarterly inputs you can update. SWM’s consumer explainer shows the current gross guide values from 1 July 2026 (13.34 ct/kWh AP, 57.10 €/kW·year GP)—use the price sheet and formula to reconcile to your site.

How to set a 2027 budget for a Munich building connected to the hot‑water network: 1) Start from your 2025/26 billed annual kWh and contracted kW. 2) Apply the latest SWM price sheet to get a current‑year run rate. 3) Update AP and GP for Q1–Q4 2027 using SWM’s formula with conservative assumptions for EEX Gas, EUA and EEX Power (use current forward quotations for 2027 as inputs) and official IG and wage indices; document your inputs. 4) Add metering charges from the price sheet relevant to your meter size and any remote‑reading add‑ons. 5) Add a contingency for within‑year resets (SWM can change quarterly).

Frankfurt (Mainova): tiered AP, annual 1 October resets, separate emissions price

Mainova’s “Wärme Classic” price sheet effective 1 January 2026 separates: a tiered work price (AP) per kWh, a base price (GP) per contracted kW, a metering/settlement price (VP), a distinct emissions price (EP) per kWh, and a heat‑levies price (WUP). Examples from the sheet: GP ranges from €89.91/kW·year net (first 15 kW) up to €148.62/kW·year for further capacity; AP for space heating is 6.21–6.07–4.87 ct/kWh net across bands, plus EP 1.17 ct/kWh net; VP depends on meter size and remote‑reading add‑ons (e.g., €260.42/year net per meter for remote reading).

Mainova’s adjustment calendar and index change in October 2026

Mainova states that base, work, metering and emissions prices are adjusted annually on 1 October; levy prices adjust on 1 January, 1 July and 1 October. The company also notes that, due to coal phase‑out, from October 2026 the coal price will no longer be represented in its index basket. For cross‑checking local market levels, the voluntary industry price‑transparency platform waermepreise.info lists Mainova’s Frankfurt network and update frequency. Expect the federal platform mandated by the cabinet to replace or supplement this with a statutory duty to publish at least once per year.

FFVAV billing transparency you can use

The FFVAV requires clear billing content, including disclosure of the annual greenhouse‑gas emissions associated with the energy mix, and obliges suppliers—on the customer’s request—to transmit billing and historical consumption to a named energy‑service provider. Property managers should request machine‑readable data to validate supplier index calculations and to benchmark via the transparency platform.