Method for operating a heating system with return line boosting and calorific value utilization, in which method a) a hot connector of a buffer store is fed with a heating medium from a feed line of a heat generator, b) heating medium is supplied from at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) of the buffer store, and/or from a lowermost PS cold connector of the buffer store, to a return line of the heat generator via an RLA section, and c) an exhaust gas heat exchanger which is provided for exhaust gases of the heat generator is fed from the PS cold connector, and a resulting AWT throughput of the heating medium is supplied to the return line of the heat generator via an AWT section, wherein the temperature of the exhaust gas exiting the exhaust gas heat exchanger or the temperature of the heating medium exiting the exhaust gas heat exchanger is regulated by means of an AWT regulating loop, which is independent of the RLA regulating loop, and the AWT throughput is used as an actuating variable, characterized in that d) heating medium from the feed line is admixed for the return line boosting by means of an RLA regulating loop, and e) a regulated access passage for heating medium from the feed line of the heat generator, a regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) and a regulated access passage for heating medium from the PS cold connector of the buffer store to the return line of the heat generator are connected to one another in such a way that the regulated access passage for heating medium from the feed line and the regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) in each case opens with respect to the return line at the earliest when that regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium which is the next adjacent one as viewed upstream in the RLA section is already completely open and the regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) in each case starts to close at the earliest when that regulated access passage (8, 24) for heating medium which is the next adjacent one as viewed downstream in the RLA section is completely closed. a) a hot connector of a buffer store is fed with a heating medium from a feed line of a heat generator, b) heating medium is supplied from at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) of the buffer store, and/or from a lowermost PS cold connector of the buffer store, to a return line of the heat generator via an RLA section, and c) an exhaust gas heat exchanger which is provided for exhaust gases of the heat generator is fed from the PS cold connector, and a resulting AWT throughput of the heating medium is supplied to the return line of the heat generator via an AWT section, wherein the temperature of the exhaust gas exiting the exhaust gas heat exchanger or the temperature of the heating medium exiting the exhaust gas heat exchanger is regulated by means of an AWT regulating loop, which is independent of the RLA regulating loop, and the AWT throughput is used as an actuating variable, characterized in that d) heating medium from the feed line is admixed for the return line boosting by means of an RLA regulating loop, and e) a regulated access passage for heating medium from the feed line of the heat generator, a regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) and a regulated access passage for heating medium from the PS cold connector of the buffer store to the return line of the heat generator are connected to one another in such a way that the regulated access passage for heating medium from the feed line and the regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) in each case opens with respect to the return line at the earliest when that regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium which is the next adjacent one as viewed upstream in the RLA section is already completely open and the regulated access passage (11, 27) for heating medium from the at least one central PS warm connector (24, 25) in each case starts to close at the earliest when that regulated access passage (8, 24) for heating medium which is the next adjacent one as viewed downstream in the RLA section is completely closed.