Energy and climate planning
On 8 July 2020, the EU Commission published a Strategy on Energy System Integration. Sector integration means linking the various energy carriers – electricity, heat, cold, gas, solid and liquid fuels – with each other and with the end-use sectors, such as buildings, transport or industry.
The Strategy foresees 40% of all residential and 65% of all commercial buildings to be heated by electricity in 2030. This should be done mainly through heat pumps.
EHPA supports the linking of sectors, which will boost heat pumps and allow the optimisation and decarbonisation of the energy system as a whole. The EU Commission foresees an evaluation of the implementation of the strategy in 2024.
The EU has a target for net zero emissions by 2050, which is enshrined under its 2018 Climate Law.
EU Member States have developed both national climate and energy plans and long-term strategies on to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reductions needed to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement and EU objectives.
EHPA is strongly supportive of high targets on greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency since heat pump technologies check all the boxes to meet these targets.
To meet the EU’s energy and climate targets for 2030, EU Member States had to establish a national energy and climate plan (NECP) for 2021 to 2030.
Each country must submit a progress report every two years, with the EU Commission keeping track of EU progress overall.
The NECPs were submitted in 2021 and Member States submitted draft updates in 2023 The European Commission has provided feedback to Member States, which must submit a final version of their NECPs by June 30, 2024.
While some of the updated draft NECPs submitted in 2023 recognise the importance of heat pumps, they fail to provide robust policies and measures to accelerate their deployment.
In November 2023, EHPA published an analysis of heat pump measures and targets in the Draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). You can read it here.
EHPA calls on Member States to recognise the vital role of clean heating in all 5 dimensions of the NECPs, to establish clear timelines to phase out fossil fuel heating and to make clean heating economically attractive and easier for consumers.