Fossil fuel-powered boilers will be phased out in a “gradual manner” by 2040 if a European Parliament and European Council provisional agreement reached yesterday is formally adopted.
The European Commission said if the agreement is formally supported, fossil fuel boiler installation subsidies will also cease by 2025 and publicly owned buildings will need to produce zero on-site emissions by 2028, with every other type of building expected to reach zero on-site emissions by 2030.
Brussels-based heat pump association EHPA – which calls for heat pumps to be the “number one” heating and cooling choice by 2030 – supports the announcement.
“Setting a date for ending fossil fuel heating in Europe’s buildings provides crucial clarity for consumers and charts the path for the heating sector. It makes any investment in heat pump solutions a future-proof choice,” EHPA Secretary General Thomas Nowak said.
“Thousands of jobs” will be created in Europe if the policy is formally adopted by the European Parliament and European Council, he said.
Member States will be responsible for establishing laws to support the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, according to the European Commission.
European Council Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, said the technology already exists to heat and cool buildings in an environmentally friendly manner but there needs to be a “stronger business case” to boost aging infrastructure renovations. The directive aims to do this and “mobilize additional finance and boost construction value chains,” he said.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive aims to support the European Union’s efforts to decarbonize infrastructure, with buildings responsible for 40% of the region’s energy demands.
The European Commission said the directive also includes a clause about ensuring buildings are solar-ready from 2027 as the technology will become the “norm.”
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
5 comments
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.