Page 40 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2018 publication

40 Winter 2018 European Energy Innovation

HEATING

Heating just got cool

By Federica Sabbati, Secretary General, European Heating Industry
Few would consider the
heating sector as cool. rate of 1% per year, they are too slow already there, that’s the good thing.
For a long time, in Brussels, to make us reach our 2030 climate
goals in time, let alone the 2050 Second, we need to look at integrated
ones. solutions across energy sectors.

“heating” has been a Sector-coupling is already happening,

technical, not a political issue. Partly, Can we look at this as an interesting so it makes sense to sit together

it is because it is way too complex to opportunity, instead of a discouraging with all the chain of energy supply,

regulate: fragmented, different from challenge? I think so, provided that distribution and use, including

country to country, climate zone to we resist the temptation to try and manufacturers of heating appliances,

climate zone, building to building. A find ONE magic word to open Ali installers and the insulation industry,

regulatory nightmare. Baba’s cave: I’m afraid there isn’t. to build the puzzle of decarbonized

“Open sesame” works only in fairy buildings in 2050. Only this way can

What’s more, nobody even knows tales. we be in line with the Paris climate

what heating system they have at goals, as well as make sense to our

home – and they will not know until it The energy performance of your consumers.

breaks down next Christmas Eve. building depends on the heating

system you have, but also on This is exactly the spirit of the

This is probably why discussions whether your building is well or badly European heating industry’s initiative

on heating and buildings have been insulated. It depends on whether you #Build2050 (www.ehi.eu/build2050/).

left to a few dedicated engineers on live in a skyscraper in the middle of The first things to tackle together is

either side of the regulatory line: a Frankfurt, connected to the electricity clear: to accelerate the renovation

few engineers-turned-Commission and gas grid; or if you are in a rate of buildings and, particularly,

officials, and many more engineer- guesthouse in Sicily. of the installed stock of heating

engineers. That is, until Paris appliances, which today is largely

happened. Paris forced policymakers That’s why you cannot decarbonize inefficient.

to get creative and find new potential buildings working in silos, just like

solutions. you cannot use the same solution To that end we need to work with

everywhere. You cannot say: ‘we’ll put installers: they are the gateway to

Luckily, it turns out that buildings biogas condensing boilers everywhere innovation in the market. How can

have a huge untapped potential in in Europe’ because it all depends on we support this precious network of

terms of energy saving. Ali Baba’s whether there is enough supply and specialists that you and I rely on for

cave of energy saving, in fact. suitable distribution of biogas, and on choosing a new heating system?

whether appliances are able to run

Space heating and hot water on biogas. We also need to raise awareness

production account for 85% of the amongst consumers, because

energy consumption in a house. But you can say: ‘I’ll use a hybrid knowing how (in)efficient your

European buildings have mostly heating system in an apartment heating system is, is the first step

been built before the 1960s – before building in Rome and a pellet boiler towards finding innovative, renewable

energy performance codes existed with solar thermal in that Tyrol solutions. How to do that? We

– while heating systems installed cottage’. And ‘I’ll have an electrical propose to use the new energy

are on average class D or E on the heat pump in my refurbished house label: next time your maintenance

energy label (if they had one, but outside Berlin’, with good insulation, technician comes over to check the

that’s another story). District heating a cellar and a garden for my outside safety of your boiler, he will also tell

does not fare better: according to the unit. you how efficient it is, and make

European Commission’s Strategy for you think of efficient and renewable

Heating and Cooling, close to 75% run This means two things: first, there alternatives.

on fossil fuels (mainly gas and coal) are different solutions to decarbonize

and are old and inefficient networks. different types of buildings, across We have to start working with those

different climatic regions in Europe. local administrations willing to

New-builds perform very well but at a These heating technologies are improve energy efficiency in their

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