Goodbye to gas boilers. This is said by the council of the European Union which, as reported by the editorial staff of Europa Today from Brussels, has now made official the dates and route for the decommissioning of the devices. Starting from 2040, “normal” gas or LPG boilers will no longer be able to be put on the market, nor can they be installed in newly constructed residential and non-residential buildings. Not only. A spokeswoman for the EU Council, responsible for energy, explained to EuropaToday that the old boilers – even if already installed – can no longer be used. All this “to progressively achieve the complete elimination of fossil fuel boilers by 2040”. A point, the latter, which is currently controversial and will probably be clarified by the governments of the individual states. In short, everything still seems very fluid and, as we know, these days 16 years is an eternity.
The stop to gas boilers is part of the broad package on green homes, which aims to reform the European Union’s real estate stock. Buildings currently account for over a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the countries of the European bloc. Italy, together with Hungary, voted against, while Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden abstained.
Deadlines for improving energy efficiency
The objectives originally set by Brussels have been largely reformulated, giving states more time to implement a profound reform of the sector. By 2030 all new buildings should be carbon neutral. By 2050 the objective will instead concern all the EU’s real estate assets. For non-residential buildings, the directive introduces minimum energy performance standards. According to the new rules, in 2030 all this typology will have to improve energy performance by 16% compared to buildings with the worst performance. By 2033 they will have to be above 26%. There will essentially be a gradual elimination of non-residential buildings that have terrible energy efficiency. Member States have the possibility to exempt specific buildings from the rules, such as historic buildings, places of worship or buildings owned by the armed forces.
Goodbye to gas boilers
Among the key measures to decarbonise the construction sector, each state is expected to adopt a national building renovation plan. This will include a roadmap with the aim of phasing out fossil fuel boilers by 2040. By eliminating tax incentives for these appliances as early as 2025, the possibility of offering incentives for hybrid heating systems has been established, for example those that combine boilers and heat pumps or solar systems.
Infrastructure for electric cars
Governments will be required to provide sustainable mobility infrastructure, including charging points for electric cars in or next to buildings, pre-cabling or ducting to accommodate future infrastructure and bicycle parking. From the moment of publication in the Official Journal, Italy will have two years to transpose the provisions of the directive into national legislation. The Brussels government will review the law by 2028, possibly amending it based on the experience gained and progress made during implementation.
