Brussels, 18 October 2022 – Ten organisations have today released a 10-point plan for a successful
heating and cooling transition to tackle the current energy crisis. Among key actions, signatories
call for the revision of the EU’s outdated heating and cooling strategy, the implementation of
mandatory heat planning and a ban on using individual, fossil-only boilers in buildings.
The current energy crisis is a heating crisis. Half of the European energy consumption goes to heating and
cooling, and 42% of this demand is supplied by natural gas. Buildings are the largest consumers of natural gas, most of which is used for space and water heating.
Six months after the publication of the REPowerEU plan, signatories deplore the EU’s lack of focus on
deploying renewable and clean heating and cooling technologies which can significantly contribute to
reducing the use of natural gas in buildings and put Europe on the path to climate neutrality and energy
independence.
The 10-point plan covers a range of measures, some of which may be integrated into the next batch of EU
emergency measures. These include implementing mandatory heat planning for all cities or the EU-wide
phase-out of individual boilers that use only fossil fuels.
The 10-point plan also underlines the necessity of upgrading the EU’s outdated heating and cooling strategy with concrete regulatory and financial instruments which will support the deployment of renewable heat solutions. These include solar heat and sustainable waste heat, as well as the roll-out of efficient heating technologies – for example, residential and large-scale heat pumps connected with district heating networks.
The latest European heating and cooling strategy was published in 2016, even before the EU committed to achieving climate neutrality before 2050, and is no longer fit for purpose.
Director General, Folker Franz:
“EPEE is fully committed to the 2030 targets and the REPower action plan of rapidly weaning the EU off fossil fuel imports. This will necessitate a push on energy efficiency and, most urgently, millions of new heat pumps throughout Europe in the coming years – not only small residential hydronic heat pumps, but all sizes and all kinds of heat pump technologies applications, including air-to-air types, ground source, office and apartment installations, district heating, low-temperature industrial heating etc.”
