Heating and cooling efficiency

Heating and cooling in buildings and industry take the lead in the EU’s total energy consumption. Notably, 75% of heating and cooling is still generated from fossil fuels. As such, they play a crucial role in a country’s transition towards greater energy efficiency and decarbonization. This could be achieved by increasing the use of renewable energy, efficiency in supply, moderating demand, and making sustainable heating and cooling techniques affordable for all.

In these circumstances, the European Commission published the “Heating and Cooling Strategy” in 2016 whose first step involves addressing the exorbitant amounts of energy used to regulate temperatures in all building typologies.

A primary goal of this strategy is to boost consumer power by upgrading the entire grid with better metering, high-performance insulation materials and controlled energy use. In the meantime, owners, tenants, building managers and public authorities will have more information at their disposal on ways and benefits of renovating and transitioning to more renewable energy sources.

Making our buildings more energy efficient has numerous advantages. Firstly, it saves heating and cooling costs without creating thermal discomfort in the building interiors. Next, updating installations to meet current standards also improves safety. Finally, an up-to-date building holds a much greater value on the market, since it follows European norms and regulations and can accommodate new generations for more years to come. 

Substantial energy savings can be made from simple modifications or adaptations, especially for buildings dating from the post-war era, which were constructed with insufficient or low-quality thermal insulation. Secondly, the old heating systems are subject to significant heat loss, with 20-30% of energy dissipated into the atmosphere as smoke and waste heat. Some systems are also based on air intake from the interiors, causing additional heat and oxygen loss, as well as hazardous malfunctions.

By adding a continuous layer of insulation to roofs, walls and foundations, we can create an enclosed thermal envelope that prevents the heat from escaping into the external environment. 

Additionally, by installing more efficient heating systems, some of which work with a minimal heat loss of around 5%, we can drastically reduce the overall energy consumption of our structures. Examples hereof are heat pumps, solar, geothermal, or condensation systems. In addition, there are several innovative and highly efficient technologies that are quickly approaching market readiness, such as stationary fuel cells that convert energy to electricity creating heat as a by-product.

However, decisions on replacing old appliances are typically made under pressure, when the heating system breaks down and the owners need an urgent solution.  Coupled with the absence of all the needed information and facts about various installation systems and price comparisons, completing a successful renovation and an energy-efficient upgrade proves to be overly challenging. Financial constraints and shared ownership further complicate the process, resulting in many owners selecting older and less efficient technologies.