The European Commission is planning to come forward with a heat pump action plan to boost the deployment of heat pumps, a Commission representative said at a joint workshop held by the International Energy Agency and the Commission on 22 February 20231. The plan will be linked to the green financing plan and will be elaborated by the Commission together with member states and business actors1. It will form part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, which the Commission presented on 1 February 20231.
"She revealed that the Commission is planning to come forward with a heat pump action plan, to boost the deployment of heat pumps."
Within that plan the Commission will propose a Net-Zero Industry Act, setting goals for net-zero industrial capacity and a regulatory framework for quick deployment, with simplified and fast-track permitting, promotion of European strategic projects and standards to support scale-up across the Single Market1. The clean energy technologies named for the act are wind power, solar PV, heat pumps, batteries and electrolysers1.
The workshop reviewed progress on reducing reliance on Russian fossil fuels. According to IEA figures cited at the event, Russia's oil and gas revenue fell by 38 per cent, the share of Russian gas in EU gas demand fell by 40 per cent, energy from solar and wind rose by 41 per cent, and EU heat pump sales increased by almost 40 per cent1. Emissions fell by 2,5 per cent during 20221. The IEA's executive director, Fatih Birol, said 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian gas remains, which the EU could lose at any time1.
On buildings, the Commission representative said the Energy Efficiency Directive puts a 3 per cent per year renovation obligation on the public sector, and that the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will focus on Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards and the worst performing buildings1. Within some REPowerEU chapters the Commission is preparing guidance on how to make buildings heat pump ready1. A prior workshop under the same project covered rooftop solar and heat pumps, including combinations of the two technologies1.
| Measure | Figure reported |
|---|---|
| Russia oil and gas revenue | down 38 per cent |
| Russian gas share of EU gas demand | down 40 per cent |
| Solar and wind energy | up 41 per cent |
| EU heat pump sales | up almost 40 per cent |
| Emissions, 2022 | down 2,5 per cent |
| Russian gas remaining | 30 bcm |
Why it matters for households
A heat pump action plan sits alongside the heat pumps already being installed in UK homes, and the figures cited show heat pump sales across the EU rising by almost 40 per cent in a year1. For a household, the practical questions around a heat pump are whether the building is ready for one and what financial support exists. The Commission says it is preparing guidance on making buildings heat pump ready, and that the plan will be linked to a green financing plan1. The Net-Zero Industry Act would cover permitting and standards for heat pumps among other technologies1, which bears on how quickly equipment and installers become available. The renovation obligation described applies to the public sector, not private homes1. No detail has been reported on what the action plan will contain for individual households, on any UK-specific measures, or on a publication date.
What happens next
The heat pump action plan is to be elaborated by the Commission with member states and business actors, and will be part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan presented on 1 February 20231. The Net-Zero Industry Act is to be proposed within that plan1. No date for publication of the heat pump action plan has been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- European Heat Pump Action Plan - HPT - Heat Pumping Technologies, heatpumpingtechnologies.org