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The European Union is driving a significant change in how we heat our homes, adn Poland is poised to undergo a substantial change in its heating sector.New regulations, stemming from the Directive (EU) 2024/1275 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 april 2024 on the energy performance of buildings, are pushing for a move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources. While a complete overhaul isn’t happening overnight, the direction is clear, and understanding the implications is crucial for homeowners and investors alike.
The core of this shift involves a gradual phasing out of traditional heating systems. From 2025, the expectation is that those replacing furnaces will increasingly turn to technologies incorporating renewable energy. Importantly, this doesn’t mean a forced removal of existing, functioning gas furnaces.However, the landscape is changing, and future-proofing investments is becoming increasingly important. The focus will be on hybrid solutions – for example, combining a heat pump with a condensing boiler.
Poland faces a unique challenge in this transition. While a vast network of gas pipelines reaches millions of households, the country’s current share of renewable energy sources remains relatively low. achieving the EU’s goals will require a significant increase in renewable energy installations and modernization of the infrastructure to accommodate renewable gases within the existing system by 2030.
What Does This Mean for the Average Homeowner?
For most homeowners, the immediate impact is minimal. There’s currently no legal requirement to dismantle a working gas furnace. Though, proactive planning is now more valuable than ever.
Firstly, financial incentives for gas boiler purchases are expected to diminish rapidly, meaning that within a few years, acquiring a gas boiler will be a solely out-of-pocket expense. Secondly, investing in a hybrid system – such as a heat pump supported by gas, or integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels – offers both energy security and a buffer against future regulations.
Furthermore, the method for evaluating building energy efficiency is evolving.New regulations will introduce “energy passports” for all buildings, with a long-term goal of progressively achieving higher efficiency classes. This translates to a simple economic reality: energy-efficient homes will command a higher market value.
2040 – A Key Date for Fossil Fuel Boilers
The European Commission aims for a complete phase-out of fossil fuels in heating by 2040. This won’t be a sudden ban,but rather a phased approach. Each Member State will develop its own plan, tailored to its specific economic and technological circumstances, to eliminate gas, oil, and coal from the building sector.
For Poland, this necessitates a comprehensive strategy for energy transformation in construction. This strategy must balance supporting citizens with incentivizing investment in innovative technologies. simply prohibiting older heating systems isn’t enough; affordable and technically viable alternatives are essential for the average resident.
As stated in the EPBD directive: “Each national building renovation plan shall include (…) an action plan with nationally agreed targets and measurable indicators of progress, including on reducing the number of people affected by energy poverty, with a view to achieving the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, to ensure high energy efficiency and decarbonization of the national building stock, and to transform existing buildings into zero-emission buildings by 2050.”
The Future of Heating – An Inevitable Transformation
What currently appears as a “advice” will become the standard practice within the next fifteen years. the heating industry is already adapting to an era dominated by heat pumps,hybrid systems,and biogas. Coupled with the rise of prosumers (consumers who also produce energy) and advancements in energy storage, heating will become increasingly localized, integrated, and clever.
this shift to renewable energy promises potential benefits for homeowners, including lower energy bills and greater independence from traditional fuel suppliers. For the country as a whole, it represents an possibility to reduce emissions and bolster energy security.
