Heating and cooling your home is a bare necessity.

It means being warm in winter, taking a hot shower, and keeping yourloved ones safe. In recent years, the high share of imported fossil fuels-especially gas in heating and cooling has been a key factor in soaring energy bills affecting European households. For a growing proportion of citizens, it is becoming a problem for making ends meet.

Promoting the decarbonisation and reduction of heating and cooling demands is key to protect Europeans and industries against rising energy prices.With the forthcoming implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive, the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the entry into force of the ETS2 mechanism, millions of households and property owners will need to invest in building retrofits and phasing-out fossil heating.

Unfortunately, many cannot afford it or will have to dig a sizeable hole in their family budget. We have the responsibility to make clean heating and cooling solutions and building renovations not only accessible, but affordable for all.

Actively promoting the replacement of fossil-fuel boilers and home renovations gives the European Union a unique opportunity to regain its energy sovereignty and competitiveness. In 2024, heating and cooling represented more than half of our energy demand, and a large proportion of Europe’s costly natural gas imports.

It is also the “low-hanging fruit” we’ve been looking for, to keep the European Union on track to achieve its climate objectives. The building sector accounts for 40% of the EU’s energy consumption and more than a third of its CO2 emissions!

Affordability, energy security and climate action, in politics there are few opportunities to get three forthe price of one. What if we could gain even more?

Ultimately, bringing heat home, and into homes is the best possible clean industrial strategy. One that provides a scalable market for all clean heat, energy efficiency and retrofit solutions, which are a flagship of the European industry and a fertile breeding ground for green jobs creation.

The time for action is now, as the next EU Commission is mandated to decarbonise heating and cooling and bring energy prices down. The proposed 'Citizen Energy Package', 'European affordable housing plan' and 'Action plan for affordable energy prices', are three pivotal initiatives to make clean heating and cooling solutions and building retrofits more accessible and affordable.

With a new Energy and Housing Commissioner at the helm, it is time to bring heat home!

Annex TS5: Integration of Renewable Energy Sources into Existing District Heating and Cooling Systems