After the stop to incentives, the EPBD Directive establishes a ban on the installation of gas boilers starting from 2040
The collar of EU rules on gas boilers powered by fossil fuels. According to what was exclusively reported by Sole24Ore, the European Commission is working on the implementation guidelines of the Green Homes Directive. In the draft of the text presented in recent days to operators in the sector and which the economic daily was able to view, the European technicians would have set the January 1, 2025 the deadline beyond which it will no longer be possible to incentivize boilers powered by fossil fuels unless “through the network, you don’t arrive at least 51% renewable fuelssuch as biogas”.
The revision text of the EPBD Directive, approved last March by Parliament, is still too vague on this front, which is why the Commission has decided to draw up a specific handbook to resolve any uncertainty.
However, Il Sole24Ore also underlines that “these are indications that do not bind the member countries like a directive but which, certainly, give a precise direction on the direction of Brussels’ policies”.
Two key steps for Italy
In the draft Guidelines presented by the Commission there would be two fundamental steps for gas boilers in Italy:
- the first establishes what is meant by Financial incentives which will be understood broadly as “any form of financial support provided by a public body”. These are therefore contributions for both purchasers and installers.
- the second explains instead what is meant by a boiler powered by fossil fuels.
The text seen by Sole24Ore declares “whether a gas boiler is considered to be powered by fossil fuels depends on the mix of fuels present in the network at the time of installation”. The operators in the sector had instead hoped for an openness towards biogas, regardless of the fuel actually used.
However, the Commission considered this request insufficient, declaring: “where the local network mainly transports natural gas, the installation of boilers will not be encouraged. Where, however, the local network mainly transports renewable fuels, the installation of boilers can receive financial incentives”.
For our country such a requirement it would completely eliminate the benefits for gas boilers.
If the Guidelines are approved, a lot of work is expected for the Italian Government which at that point will necessarily have to provide a system of alternative incentives and bonuses.
Read also The alternatives to gas boilers after the stop imposed by Case Green
