The EU Heating and Cooling Strategy, which is part of the European Commission’s Sustainable Energy Security Package, has set a number of broad long-term goals for the heating and cooling sector, presenting a vision in which the EU which has decarbonised buildings and industry, maximises the use of waste heat and cold in industry, and encourages district heating networks.
In a Briefing issued in May 2016, the European Parliament noted that decarbonising the building stock would involve setting high energy efficiency and renewable energy standards for new and renovated buildings. The Parliament also noted that achieving this goal would also require the automation of heating and cooling and the use of decarbonised electricity and district heating and cooling systems.
“According to its vision, surplus heat and cold from industrial processes would in future be reused in district heating and cooling systems, with a special contribution from cogeneration plants producing heat and power in a highly energy-efficient process,” the European Parliament said on its website.
While admitting that the strategy does not announce any new legislative proposals, the Parliament stressed that it does present some steps that the European Commission may consider in the process of revising existing energy legislation, both to improve implementation and to align it with 2030 climate and energy targets. “The Commission has announced it would look to improve the financing of building stock renovations and simplify improvements in rented apartments and multi-apartment buildings,” the statement said.