What will a possible ban on conventional heating technology mean for you?

There are many reasons to choose a heat pump. That’s why Daikin has created the whitepaper Drivers to Heat Pump Adoption by European Households, offering fact-based insights to help consumers make an informed decision. It explores key factors such as energy cost savings, government incentives, environmental impact, policy developments, and how heat pumps integrate with renewable energy solutions to future-proof homes.

In this article, we’ll focus on the potential phase-out of conventional heating technologies and what it means for homeowners considering a transition to heat pumps.

The end of gas and oil-fired boilers in Europe

The end could be near for traditional gas and oil-fired boilers. The European Commission plans to phase them out in the years ahead to make way for lower-carbon options, and some EU countries have already announced that they will be banned.

EU climate goals are driving the shift to low-carbon heating

Many European governments have made ambitious Net Zero carbon emissions pledges and they are working hard to create policies that support their goals. Making buildings more energy-efficient will help them meet their targets. According to the World Green Building Council, 28% of global energy-related carbon emissions come from the energy needed to heat, cool and power buildings.[1]

So it’s no surprise that policymakers are setting several measurable short-term milestones to enable them to achieve their long-term objectives. One of the options on the table is to ban conventional fossil fuel-based heating systems like gas boilers.

The REPowerEU plan and the rise of zero-carbon buildings

As part of the REPowerEU plan to improve energy efficiency and accelerate the green transition, the European Commission aims to completely remove oil and gas-fired boilers from the European market by 2029. Some EU countries have already announced that they are banning new boiler installations.

Another strategy is to create more zero-carbon buildings. A zero-carbon building is a building that uses renewable energy technologies such as heat pumps or solar panels to produce the power it needs to operate, or that relies on energy sources that can be fully decarbonized, such as electricity.

Why heat pumps are key to replacing gas boilers

As a result, more and more homeowners will have to say goodbye to gas and oil-fired boilers and adopt technologies like heat pumps that reduce their home's carbon footprint. According to the International Energy Agency, heat pumps are three to five times more energy-efficient than gas boilers.[2]

[1] https://worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero/embodied-carbon/

[2] International Energy Agency “The Future of Heat Pumps” (2022) chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/4713780d-c0ae-4686-8c9b-29e782452695/TheFutureofHeatPumps.pdf

For detailed data, sources, and references, please refer to the full whitepaper (available for download in English).