Recall gas boilers? We check
22.2.2024
In recent weeks, another series of misinformation texts have appeared in the media about the alleged ban by the European Union on gas boilers. The most important misconception is the permanent confusion of technology (condensing boilers) with fuel (gas of fossil origin). Below we present a fragment of the text that you will find in the new POGP Annual Report, which will be presented in April 2024 at the Gas Fuels Forum.
One of the priorities Fit for 55 was to accelerate the decarbonisation of the construction sector, so far little affected directly by European regulations. Buildings in the EU account for 42% of final energy consumption, and 80% of this is currently spent on heating or cooling.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is the most important and fundamental instrument in the European Union's quest to achieve the goal of zero-emission building resources in 2050. By 2050, all buildings in the Union must be emission-free. In total, around 35 million buildings in Europe are to be modernized. The key concept for the EPBD Directive is Zero Emission Building (ZEB), with total primary energy consumption determined for Poland at <65 kWh/m2/year. In 2023, however, the European institutions became the subject of a dispute over the definition of ZEB and the pace and methods of decarbonisation of housing stock. The temperature of the talks was high — both because of the costs of the solutions discussed for the citizens of the EU countries and the parallel political conflict in Germany over the so-called heating law (Building Energy Kit, MOUTH).
The German dispute over the GEG was fundamental to heating in the European Union, because it highlighted social resistance to too radical decarbonisation beyond the financial capacity of society and influenced the way other European governments began to look at the costs of the energy transition.
According to GEG, from 2024 only heating systems using > 65% renewable energy can be installed in new buildings in Germany, which can be hybrid systems that combine heat pumps with condensing boilers. There is also no ban on new gas heating installations in existing buildings, and it has become mandatory to use information about the risks associated with a possible increase in fossil fuel costs.
Contrary to previous rumors, users of gas heating do not have to replace it after the entry into force of the German law, they will also be able to repair broken boilers.Heating boilers older than 30 years are subject to replacement - subject to the exceptions enshrined in the law. From 2045, all heat sources installed in Germany will have to use 100% renewable energy sources - not only electricity, but also biomethane, biopropane or green hydrogen.
In 2023, we already wrote about the text of the negotiated EPBD Directive. The version drawn up on 7 December 2023 as a result of negotiations between the Council of the Union, the Parliament and the Commission - and already after the heated dispute over the German GEG - differs significantly from the text adopted in March last year by the European Parliament. The differences regarding boiler issues are summarized in the table below.
The revised EPBD Directive therefore allows the use of emission-free combustion of renewable fuels in buildings and financial support for the installation of hybrid heating systems, However, it leaves a gap in the definition fossil fuel boilers. Guidelines on this matter are yet to be issued by the European Commission. However, it is already clear that new and modernised buildings could not be used with powered heat sources solely fossil fuels.
Summary:
- The EPBD Directive does not apply to boilers at all! The terms adopted therein relate to boilers powered exclusively by fossil fuels.
- After 2030, it will even be possible to install boilers in hybrid systems in new buildings, e.g. together with solar collectors or with heat pumps - in this way the boiler can be used, for example, to heat hot water or switched on during periods of peak heat demand so as not to overload the pump.
- Buildings existing before 2030 will not be affected in any way by boiler regulations, provided that fuel with a higher content of biocomponents is gradually introduced to the market.
Most importantly: read the source documents, and not just the analyzes prepared by one or another technological option. We recommend reading the recipes. At the time of writing, the European Parliament has not yet approved the content of the compromise, which is likely to happen in March.
For those who prefer a video message, 3 minutes from a friendly vlogger on why the boiler ban rumor is the nonsense of the year:
