A new EU heating and cooling strategy, encouraging a move towards smart, efficient and sustainable heating and cooling, has been welcomed by BEAMA after its launch in Brussels.

The trade association hailed its unambiguous ambition to decarbonize both buildings and heat through the realisation of the links between decarbonized generation, smarter energy management and the electrification of heat.”

BEAMAs deputy chief executive officer Kelly Butler said: “This strategy hits at the heart of what we have been telling UK policy makers for many years; progress with decarbonizing heat is linked to driving building renovation rates, making bold decisions on consequential improvements, mandating the requirement for full heating controls, making homes renewable ready as best as possible with thermal stores and low temperature heating systems, and maximizing the opportunities smart metering provides for flexible local energy management.

“We are particularly pleased to see specific mention in the strategy of the importance of controls, low temperature heating, consumer feedback via smart metering and the need for demand response and time of use tariffs.”

The strategy identifies the relevant tools at EU member states disposal, including energy labelling and energy performance certificates, and it explicitly explains that it will use the revisions to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive to drive growth in low carbon renewable heating & cooling.

In advising the EU Commission on earlier drafts of the strategy, BEAMA and its EU counterpart Orgalime recommended that the EPBD should start to legislate for minimum energy label ratings for new heating systems across the EU.

If the EPBD can require all new heating systems across the EU to be A rated by 2020 using the proposed new labelling scale then significant mass market progress will have been made not dissimilar to what we achieved in the UK with the mandatory condensing boiler policy introduced 10 years ago.

To read the strategy and accompanying information in full, visit this link.