Climate crisis Spain is opposed to advancing the elimination of gas boilers from the market

They are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that receive little attention, but the numbers are no less important. 12% of the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emitted in the European Union (EU) comes from systems that require a high energy load: boilers and heating and water heating systems. In fact, 28% of the total energy consumed on the continent is used for both purposes.

On September 27 and 28, the last meeting took place in Brussels before the vote that aims to review the standards allowed in the EU on heating and water heating systems in the home, within the framework of the Ecodesign Directive. In it, the Spanish representation, like the Italian and Portuguese, has been opposed to prohibiting the sale of gas boilers by 2025, as recommended in May by the International Energy Agency (IEA, for its acronym in English).

France yes, Spain no

While France, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden have been in favor of increasing climate ambition, advancing the ban on the sale of boilers based on fossil fuels such as natural gas, Spain has defended the position of the industry, grouped in the Association of the European Heating Industry (EHI).

Specifically, the Spanish representation has pointed out: "We accept the comments of EHI and Italy and we would like to underline the fact that in order to decarbonize the economy, we must consider biofuels, hydrogen and not just electricity", adding that "objectives that are too ambitious in ecodesign could limit the potential in the transition period”.

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EHI brings together the main manufacturers of gas boilers and today stands as the main pressure group against advancing the ban on the sale of natural gas boilers.

fossil heating

It is currently estimated that there are around 129 million boilers installed in the EU. With the data handled by the NGO coalition Cool products for a cool planet, more than half of them are not very efficient and more than 80% of the heating equipment uses fossil fuels. "Allowing the sale of these boilers in the EU after that year could undermine the efforts that several Member States are making to avoid the sale of old and polluting technologies," they denounce from the Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), an NGO that works to more friendly technical standards with the climate and the environment.

If the EU complies with the IEA recommendation to ban the sale of gas boilers in 2025, the savings in greenhouse gases would translate into 110 million tons of CO 2 per year, as indicated by a study carried out by ECOS in 2020. In it, the progressive elimination of fossil fuel-based boilers is pointed out as a basic pillar of the EU's climate strategy.

The European Commission itself estimates that a 40% reduction in emissions from heaters and gas heating is necessary if it wants to achieve its emission reduction targets set for 2030.

Until 2050

The standards for the so-called eco-design of heating systems and boilers are reviewed every five years. As reported by ECOS, if gas fuels are not banned in this review, they will remain on the market beyond the year 2030 and would be in operation until mid-century, which would make it very difficult for the EU to meet its own climate goals. "The project proposed by the European Commission in July 2021 is insufficient to achieve the EU's emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2050," they remark.

So far, seven member states have announced the phase-out of fossil fuel-based boilers. In total, ecodesign and energy labeling policies are expected to contribute around a third of the total emissions reduction needed to reach the EU's 2030 target.

On September 23, 29 companies, NGOs and representatives of different cities sent a letter to the Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, in which they requested the progressive elimination of this type of system from the market in order to eliminate them from it by 2025 .