One alternative is natural refrigerants, which are naturally occurring substances such as CO2 or ammonia. In 2016, Montreal Protocol signatories agreed to the Kigali Amendment, pledging to restrict the production and use of HFCs from 2019. The production and use of refrigerant gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) also threatens to exacerbate global warming by as much as 0.4☌ by 2100. The major problem is that cooling technologies remain overwhelmingly powered by fossil fuels, Energy Monitor warned. With the need for air condition rising by three times over the last 30 years, the need to invest in more energy-efficient buildings is vital in order to reduce demand for electricity for air conditioning in the summer months.
In other words, only 89% of the heating needs were required in 2021 compared with 1979. In 2021, there were an average of 100 days when cooling was needed across Europe, compared to 37 in 1979, meaning that the need for air conditioning in a given building has increased by three times over the last 30 years.īy contrast, the need to heat a given building has decreased slightly over time: the heating degree days value decreased by 11% between 1979 (3,510 degree days) and 2021 (3,126) in the EU. The record-high temperatures mean that Alpine glaciers are melting at their fastest rates ever.ĭata from Eurostat shows that domestic cooling has increased in recent years, while heating requirements have dropped.
Renovating Europe’s building stock and electrifying the heating supply with heat pumps will help create 1.2mn net additional jobs by 2050, a 0.5% increase from baseline GDP projections.įor the consumer, the combination of heat pumps and solar thermal would mean reduced energy spending.Īs well as heat, renovating buildings would also reduce demand for air conditioning in the summer months, an issue that has rocketed to the top of the energy agenda during the current heat waves. Europe could cut its annual spending on gas imports by €15bn in 2030 and €43bn in 2050.īeyond the financial savings, cutting energy dependence offers further security implications, ridding economies from additional burdens, as well as improving the trade balances of European countries with no need to import oil and gas. Such renovation work would boost GDP growth in the short term, while electrifying the heat supply and lowering the need for heating through renovations would lead to a 0.7% increase in annual GDP in 2030 and a 1% increase by 2050.ĭecarbonising the housing stock would cut Europe’s energy import dependence, mainly through reducing gas imports. The European Commission has launched a “renovation wave” as part of its Green Deal programme, which aims to put emphasis on upgrading the existing building stock and to create a new generation of climate-proof homes. “Furthermore, Europe could cut its annual spending on gas imports by €15bn in 2030 and €43bn in 2050, while 1.2mn net additional jobs could be created thanks to net-zero carbon housing measures by 2050.”īuildings account for 40% of the EU’s energy consumption, which is likely to continue growing unless immediate action is taken, Cambridge Econometrics said “A dedicated switch to zero-carbon housing alone could increase GDP by 0.7-1% in Europe in 2030-2050,” says Dóra Fazekas, managing director of Cambridge Econometrics’ Budapest office.
This means that domestic cooling, as well as domestic heating, is a major source of CO2 emissions and an area ripe for decarbonisations if Europe is to meet its Fit for 55 emissions reduction goals and its 2050 net-zero ambitions.ĭeploying greater energy efficiency measures in buildings would reduce energy demand from housing stock in the long term, Cambridge Econometrics said.Ĭhanging heating technologies can further reduce demand for fossil fuels, cutting dependency on Russian gas and reducing demand for electricity within Europe. The report comes as rising temperatures have led to higher demand for air conditioning, which has pushed up demand for electricity in the summer months. Switching private homes to sustainable and zero-carbon energy consumption would provide key economic benefits, Cambridge Econometrics said in a recent report commissioned by the European Climate Foundation. This means that Europe could reduce its annual gas import bill by €15bn in 2030 and 43bn euros in 2050. Zero-carbon housing is a key battleground in combatting climate change and global warming, as the residential building sector across Europe has the potential to cut fossil fuel dependency and reduce emissions.
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