Waiting for boilers

For many, floods are followed by a cold winter

The destruction faced by homeowners after the floods in June is devastating.

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

Those affected by the flood disaster in Burgenland in June are now running out of time to buy heating systems. Long waiting times and a lack of commitments from the disaster fund are making the situation more difficult - many are now facing a winter without heating.

At 34 degrees, few people are currently thinking about winter - but not those particularly affected by the floods. In addition to enormous damage to houses and financial worries, the impending cold season is a major headache. In many households, the heating systems were completely destroyed by the floods. In most cases, it has been possible to get the hot water supply up and running again with temporary solutions, but even two months after the catastrophic flooding it is still a case of "cautious waiting" when it comes to replacing boilers.

Very few customers have already ordered
Of around 30 customers, only five have currently ordered a new system, says installer Klaus Hagenauer from Markt Allhau. There is a great risk that they will be sitting in the cold in winter. The reasons for customers' reluctance are varied and often have to do with the fact that the disaster fund has not yet paid out.

Many people affected by the floods are taking their time to buy new heating systems due to the uncertain financial situation. For installation companies, this means even more time pressure with order books already full to the brim.

(Bild: Stefan Gruber)

Countless people affected are waiting impatiently for the money. "Those customers who are in a good financial position were able to react quickly when buying a heating system, but where you have to rely on the payment of insurance money or the disaster fund, the uncertainty is too great for customers," explains Hagenauer. The fact that the waiting time for a new boiler is around nine months does not make the situation any easier.

Full order books require flexibility from companies
The order books of building services companies are full anyway. "Our credo is therefore to react flexibly," says Andreas Karner, who runs a building services company in Bernstein. "We try to process orders according to urgency. We also rely on our customers and their understanding when it comes to replacing a system that is not broken or installing a new system because there is no heating in the house after the flood."

Subsidies can only be triggered once every ten years
To make matters worse, the high federal subsidy "Raus aus Öl und Gas" for boiler replacement and the state subsidy can only be triggered if the boiler was replaced more than ten years ago. "Many customers have already taken advantage of this and are therefore losing out. Our suppliers are very accommodating in these cases," says Hagenauer.

The state points out that the current value of technical equipment is reimbursed via the disaster fund. However, there is good news regarding the disbursement of funds: all expert reports should be sent to the municipalities by the end of this week. They can then commission the experts, according to the office of Deputy Governor Astrid Eisenkopf.