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The European Union is driving โa 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) 2024/1275โ of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 april 2024 on the energy performance โof buildings, are pushing for a move awayโฃ from fossil fuelsโฃ and towards โฃrenewable energy sources. While a complete overhaul isn’t happening overnight, the direction is clear, and understandingโค the implications โis crucial for homeowners and investorsโ alike.
The core of this shift involves a gradual phasing out of traditional heating โsystems. From 2025, the expectation isโ that those replacing furnaces will increasingly turnโฃ to technologies incorporating renewable energy. Importantly, this doesn’t mean a forced removal ofโค existing, functioning gas furnaces.However, the landscapeโฃ isโฃ changing, and future-proofing investments is โbecoming increasinglyโ important. The โfocus will be on hybrid solutions – for example, combining a heat pump with a condensing boiler.
Poland faces a unique challenge in this transition. While โฃaโข vast networkโข of gas pipelines reaches millions of households, the country’s current share of renewable energy sources remains relatively low. โขachieving the EU’s goals will require a significant increase in renewable energy installations and modernization of theโค infrastructure to accommodate renewable gases within the existing systemโฃ by 2030.
What Does This Mean โfor the Average Homeowner?
Forโ most homeowners, the immediate impact is minimal. There’s currently no legal requirement to dismantle a working gas furnace. Though, proactive planning isโค now more โขvaluable than ever.
Firstly, financial incentives for โgas 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 โin a hybrid system – such as aโค heat pump supported by gas, or โขintegrating photovoltaic (PV) panels – โoffers both energy security and a buffer against future regulations.โค
Furthermore, theโ method for evaluating building energy efficiency is evolving.New regulations will introduce “energy passports” for all โฃbuildings, with a long-termโ goal of progressively achieving higher efficiency classes. This translates toโ aโข simple economicโ reality: energy-efficient homes will command a higher โmarket value.
2040 – A Key Date for Fossil โคFuel Boilers
The European Commission aims for a complete phase-out of fossil fuels in heating by 2040.โ This won’t be a sudden ban,but rather a phased approach. Each Member State will develop its own plan, โtailored โto its specificโ economic and technological circumstances, to eliminate gas, oil,โ and coal from the building sector.
For Poland, this necessitatesโ a comprehensive strategy for energy transformation in construction. This strategy must balance supportingโ citizensโข with โincentivizing investmentโ inโ innovative technologies. simply prohibiting older heating systems isn’t enough; affordable and technically viable alternatives are โessential for the average resident.
As statedโข in theโ EPBD directive: “Each national building renovation plan shallโค include (…) anโข action plan with โคnationally agreed targetsโข and measurable indicators of progress, including on reducing the number of people affected by energy poverty, with a view to achieving the โgoal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, to ensure high energy efficiencyโข and decarbonization of the national building stock,โค and to transform existing buildings into zero-emission buildings โby 2050.”
The Future of Heating – An Inevitable Transformation
What currently appearsโข as a “advice” will become the standard practice within the next fifteen years. the heating industry is alreadyโข 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 shiftโข to renewable energyโ promises โขpotential benefits for homeowners, including lower energy bills and greater independence from traditional โฃfuel suppliers. For the โcountry as a whole,โข it represents an possibility to reduce emissions and bolster energy security.