EU raising the bar Important news has emerged from Brussels that everyone in the district heating (DH) sector should be aware of. As part of the EU’s Green Deal, the Energy Efficiency Directive 1 has been recast in response to the climate and energy crisis. The Direc- tive sets energy efficiency roles in achieving a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, with the goal of cli- mate neutrality by 2050. Energy efficiency improvements play a major role in achieving these targets as the Directive sets tar- gets of 11.7% energy savings by 2030. This is particularly significant as we are now on track to experi- ence global temperatures far beyond the Paris Agreement 2 , in- creasing energy poverty rates and risk of sufficient energy sup- ply in the coming winter. The heating sector, which accounts for over 40% of all energy end-use in Europe, therefore, needs to deliver energy savings quickly and move away from fossil fuels 3 .
further improve energy efficiency levels across Europe. Dan- ish members of the European Parliament, Danish companies, and interest organizations have promoted an increased focus on energy-efficient DH in the recast of the Directive, which will help to deliver the energy and CO2 savings we urgently need. With Denmark’s proven track record in energy-efficient solu- tions and ‘know-how’ within DH, we should be ready to meet increased demand for our energy-efficient solution and knowl- edge soon as the Directive is implemented into national legis- lations by 2024. Most important takeaways from the Directive The European DH industry will transform within the coming years, thanks to the implementation of a new directive and the innovation that happens. This Directive comprises several note- worthy elements that promise to revolutionize how we heat our homes and businesses.
Denmark has played a leading role in driving the progress in DH. There is now an opportunity to build on this expertise to
1 EU (2023) , https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-directive_en 2 IPCC (2023) , https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/ 3 IEA Heating (2022) , https://www.iea.org/reports/heating
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