Heating and cooling systems remain a major source of air pollution across the continent. A JRC study highlights the urgent need to accelerate the adoption of cleaner, more efficient and renewable technologies in this sector.
Air pollution remains a major environmental challenge in the EU, with the heating and cooling sector contributing significantly to the emission of harmful pollutants. These emissions include 73% particulate matter (PM2.5), 33% nitrogen oxides (NOx), 2% ammonia (NH3), 18% non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), 61% monoxide carbon (CO) and 49% sulfur dioxide (SO2), all of which pose serious health risks. Buildings and our homes are a major source of these pollutants.
Following the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive, several Member States will need to make additional efforts to comply with the stricter air quality targets for 2030, as the EU has aligned more closely to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline levels.
In this situation, it is crucial to correctly identify the factors causing air pollution to select and recommend cleaner alternatives to current practices.
Despite a gradual transition to less polluting energy sources for heating in the EU, pollutant-emitting combustion appliances still dominate the energy mix, accounting for 97% of heat production in 2022, according to a study. CCR study.
The last two decades have been marked by progress in terms of the quality and efficiency of European heating. While the EU27 has reduced its overall gross final energy consumption (GFEC) in 2022 (latest data available at the time of the study) by 9.5% compared to 2005, heating and cooling consumption has seen a better performance, reducing by 16% over the same period. . This is partly due to lower energy requirements for heating buildings and partly due to more efficient heating appliances.
The use of heat pumps, without direct polluting emissions, has increased six-fold since 2005, now representing 3.7% of gross final energy consumption. While the heating and cooling sector has reached a 25% share of renewable energy in 2022, heat pumps still represent a relatively small share, with a contribution of only 15%.
Pollutant emissions from heating are dominated by the residential sector (85% of PM2.5, 82% of NMVOCs, 79% of ammonia and 76% of CO), which shows the need to set emission limits stricter polluting standards for devices sold for use. in this sector. The analysis shows that this is particularly relevant for biomass for PM2.5 and for gas and biomass for NOx.
Building on previous research on small-scale combustion and ongoing efforts to improve estimates of air pollutant emissions in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), the study identifies the main factors influencing emissions:
the type of fuel used (such as natural gas, wood, fuel oil, pellets or electricity), the technology used (such as stoves, fireplaces, boilers or heat pumps), the overall efficiency of these systems .
National energy and climate plans
The study also analyzed both the 2019 National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and the 2023 draft NECPs which outline how EU countries intend to achieve their energy and climate targets for 2030. The results show an increase in targets in renewable energy.
For example, Sweden aims to further increase its contribution to renewable energy in heating and cooling compared to the contribution outlined in its 2019 NECP, reaching a share of 73% by 2030, while Denmark, which aims for a share of 77%, shows the largest increase in renewable energy. percentage points (17 pp) when comparing its two NECP submissions.
However, 12 member states still do not meet the new EU requirements and many countries still project a lower share of renewable energy than expected levels for 2030. The Commission has published recommendations on the updated draft NECP, including, where appropriate, the need to increase ambition on renewable energy. Member States are currently finalizing their NECPs, taking into account the Commission’s recommendations.
Heat pump use is expected to increase by 22% by 2030, based on 2023 NECP plans, while biomass heating projections have only increased slightly, with some countries reducing their targets due to air quality problems.
These results highlight the complex and multifaceted challenge facing the EU’s efforts to balance energy needs with air quality and decarbonization objectives.
Indeed, while progress has been made in renewable energy adoption and energy efficiency, continued reliance on fossil fuels and biomass in heating systems poses ongoing risks to air quality .
Context and policy relevance
The EU has adopted a comprehensive strategy to tackle air pollution, combining regulatory measures, policy initiatives and a strong focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The updated EU energy framework, reflected in recent revisions of the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, together with the Net Zero Industry Act, constitutes a strong policy signal in favor of clean heating solutions. It promotes the adoption of efficient district heating systems and heat pumps while paving the way for the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers.
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Originally published in The European Times.
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