The cleanest, cheapest form of energy is energy that is not used; everyone should be able to get their homes renovated. Photo: © Natalia Lebedinskaia / Shutterstock.com

EU renewable heating manifesto: “We need to heat our homes, not the planet”

During the ongoing EU energy policy revision, a coalition of Europe’s biggest environmental groups has pushed for renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions as well as rejection of fossil fuel boilers.

The crisis in global energy prices has showed just how vulnerable Europe is to the fickle international gas markets, given its dependence on imports for 90 per cent of its fossil gas. It has never been clearer that we need renewable, affordable energy for all. Most of Europe’s imported is used for heating buildings “despite the fact that heating and cooling sectors are much easier to abate than other sectors”, as the manifesto states. Natural gas is still Europe’s main fuel for district heating, responsible for 37 per cent of heating, followed by coal at 25 per cent. Overall, buildings account for 40 per cent of the EU’s energy consumption.

When it comes to heating buildings, “solutions have been around for a long time”, according to Davide Sabbadin of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). These take the form of renewable, non-emitting heating and cooling technologies that have been on the market for many years. The manifesto of Renewable Heat for All points out the importance of heat pumps, geothermal and district heating networks as substitutes for gas and oil boilers.

Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe, the rapporteur on the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), welcomed the manifesto, particularly in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The events of the last few days are a reminder that we need to move away from our overreliance on gas and oil and accelerate our EU energy transition.” He added: “Through the EPBD, I would like to see a phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and replace them with subsidies for heat pumps. I want our homes to become zero-emitting homes that are powered by clean renewable energy which helps to lower energy bills for vulnerable households. The decarbonisation of the heating sector can be achieved if we stay ambitious.”  

Member states have the right to decide on their own energy mixes, and their ambition levels differ greatly. For example, the Netherlands and Flanders are proposing gas boiler bans in the next decade. Renewable energy’s share of heating and cooling in the EU was 23 per cent in 2021. The levels vary greatly, for example Sweden has reported a 66 per cent share, while Ireland merely 6.3 per cent.

The manifesto is published during the revisions to the bloc’s energy policies, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive. “We do not yet see a consistent strategy across all of these files to achieve a higher share of renewables in time to meet climate commitments,” said Jörg Mühlenhoff, CAN Europe’s energy transition policy coordinator. “There are too many doors left open for fossil gas.”  The rewards are not only seen when it comes to the climate aspect but also for public health. Fossil fuels in people’s homes contribute to damaging indoor air quality and urban air pollution.

The manifesto also highlights the financial obstacles that need to be addressed. The costs of retrofitting and switching to renewable heating technology mean that not everyone can access them. The EU and national governments must ensure all households can take advantage of these solutions by scaling up support programmes. A transformation of the role of fossil fuels in the energy market is needed, decommissioning large parts of the current gas grid, stopping new residential connections, facilitating access to domestic renewables and district heating, and ending the sale of gas boilers. Governments must protect consumers from gas and gas grid costs as well as from misinformation on the sustainability of fossil fuels and on the future decarbonisation of the gas grid. Consumers should have the right to participate actively in this transition of their homes and cities.
The manifesto underlines important actions to make the transition possible:

  • Embrace energy savings & sufficiency: The cleanest, cheapest form of energy is energy that is not used; everyone should be able to get their homes renovated.
  • Reject false solutions: Replace fossil-fuelled heating with renewables; the technology is there and the decarbonisation of heating and cooling can now rely fully on renewable, sustainable, non-emitting mature technologies.
  • Protect vulnerable consumers: Divert fossil fuel subsidies to renewable energy solutions; despite their maturity, competitiveness and abundant potential, the barriers preventing millions of households from benefiting from renewable heating and cooling technologies remain too high.

The need to transition the energy system of the EU has never been so prominent. The crisis in global energy prices has shown just how vulnerable Europe is to the international gas markets. The new IPCC report highlighting the dire state of the climate crisis and the acceleration of the energy transition is vital. It is essential to grab the low-hanging renewable heat fruit now.

Emilia Samuelsson

Based on "Renewable Heat For All – A civil society manifesto for the future of heating and cooling in Europe", which can be found here: https://eeb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/RenewableHeatForAll-Manifesto...

 

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