How can the EU
Unleash a
Clean Heat Wave?

Dear President von der Leyen,
Dear Executive Vice-President Ribera,
Dear Executive Vice-President Sejourné,
Dear Commissioner Hoekstra,
Dear Commissioner Jørgensen

During the previous mandate, the Green Deal cemented Europe as a frontrunner of ambitious goal setting, establishing objectives for a cleaner, healthier economy. The current mandate, rightly, follows this up by focusing on our net zero industrial competitiveness. This can lay the foundations for our future climate-neutral prosperity and simplify the lives of European industrial champions. 

Decarbonising our Heating & Cooling needs is essential both to meet our climate objectives and protect our industrial competitiveness. Heating & Cooling makes up half of our total energy needs, and right now, many clean heat solutions are ready to deploy and deliver clean, affordable heating.

Encouragingly, the EU boasts a strong domestic manufacturing base, but we cannot take this competitiveness for granted. At the moment, 60-73% of heat pumps installed in Europe are manufactured here. In a similar vein, 69% of all high-value invention patents in District Heating and Cooling technologies are held in Europe. This also applies to the geothermal and the solar thermal industries, which manufacture in Europe, currently meeting 90% of EU demand while exporting globally.

We, the undersigned, represent companies and civil society organisations which all support Europe’s clean heating transition. 

The global cleantech industrial race is in full swing, and the heating and cooling sector presents an opportunity for Europe to maintain an already strong position vis-a-vis other leading economies.

To that end, the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal represents a generational opportunity to revitalise Europe’s clean heat transition. In the following, downloadable PDF, we outline key action points: effective policy measures that together contribute to ushering in an age of European clean heat leadership:

1.     Fast-track Europe’s competitiveness in clean heat
2.     Unleash a demand shock for clean heat solutions 
3.     Enshrine air quality at the heart of Europe’s net zero economy

Safeguarding our clean heat transition is vital for our future economy. We can establish an energy-efficient built environment and wean off the current fossil fuel dependency of a sector that represents more than half of both industrial and residential energy consumption. 

Additionally, the clean heat transition is crucial for public health, with 73% of particulate matter pollution in the EU originating in the heating and cooling sector, according to the JRC. 

Thankfully, the last mandate saw the EU legislate clear targets, both for decarbonising our building stock, and for reducing harmful air pollution. Ambitious targets establish direction and spur investment, and EU industry is currently racing to scale cleantech solutions. To that end, regulatory strength must now be underpinned by policy support for a simple, affordable transition. 

We are at your disposal, and would love to meet with you and your staff to discuss how to best supercharge the EU’s clean heat competitiveness during your mandate.