The European Commission should include clean heat standards in its forthcoming Net Zero Industry Act to force industry and enable consumers to switch from fossil fuel boilers to lower-emitting heat pumps, concludes a new report from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Clean heat standards would impose quantitative targets such as the number of heat pumps to be sold, emission reductions achieved or the amount of renewable heat supplied
COMING OF AGE Sales of heat pumps in Europe are rapidly increasing but are still being out-competed by fossil boilers
TRIED AND TESTED Many markets around the world have imposed, or are considering, clean heat standards
KEY QUOTE Ambitious targets must go hand in hand with an economic and legislative framework that promotes the rapid adoption of clean heat technologies such as heat pumps
...
Try FORESIGHT - 30 days for €29
By using the wrong metrics, the European Union is locking in inefficient ways of space heating. Changing the definitions of renewable heat may help support low-carbon alternative technologies, says Duncan Gibb from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Citizens across Europe are concerned about their heating bills as a result of the energy price crisis, but sustainable heating and cooling do not yet receive much attention in the EU’s agenda
Green hydrogen is considered to be an energy carrier of the future, but many people are not aware that it can also be used to heat buildings. As a complementary fuel, hydrogen can be truly efficient, economical and sustainable all at the same time. Plus, when used to store surplus clean energy, hydrogen can also help balance the electricity grid—a major challenge when leveraging renewables, says Henning Sandfort of Siemens Smart Infrastructure
Placing decarbonisation of buildings on the international agenda means heat pumps can finally have their moment in the spotlight, says Richard Lowes of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
The energy crisis has prompted a major surge in demand for heat pumps and the technology is widely recognised as a no-regret option to decarbonise heating and cooling, but many are still to be convinced
Poland has recorded the strongest growth in heat pump sales in Europe in 2021. This is the result of market certainty and customer incentives and shows the way for other states looking to heat pumps in decarbonisation efforts, says Monika Morawiecka and Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project
Simply rolling out renewables will not be enough to end Europe’s dependency on gas. Energy efficiency is just as important, says Katarzyna Wardal from Knauf Insulation