27 January, Brussels – The German Government – with support from Sweden, Denmark and the UK – has urged the European Commission to tackle the large climate impact of the heating and cooling sector, which is responsible for half of all EU energy use. The intervention comes as the Commission starts work on a heating strategy.
In the next few week, the Commission is to hold a kick-off event with policy-makers and industry, to discuss how best to reduce CO2 emissions from heating and cooling technologies. Further, the energy configuration of the Council of the European Union are expected to discuss the matter during a meeting on 16 April.
It is expected that the Commission will publish a strategy paper this year, and the upcoming event will provide input on how to best increase renewable energy use in heating, given that past EU efforts in renewables have mostly focused on the electricity sector.
The heating and cooling sector is often called a ‘sleeping giant’, as it is responsible for a significant share of carbon emissions, yet has not been adequately challenged by policy-makers. Key legislation, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, have in past been criticised for its exclusion.