The third edition of the Heat Roadmap Europe (HRE) studies alerted local and national decision-makers to Europe’s incredible energy inefficiency, showing that the amount of heat wasted is currently larger than the total heat demand of Europe’s entire building stock. Rightly, the first formulated strategic policy package of the EU to achieve a resilient Energy Union regards efficiency as an energy source, one which is vital to decarbonising the energy system.

The Energy Union seeks to enhance the interconnectivity of the electricity grid of European nations to make efficiency gains, as well as to balance volatile renewable supplies. It is a new and crucial step in the energy transition, together with the “winter package” released in November last year. However, it falls short of adequately addressing heating and cooling issues such as the interconnectivity of the thermal system or electricity-to-heat integration, despite the latter being up to 100 times cheaper to store in comparison to electrical storage.

On 7 March, HRE4 will launch country-specific heat maps in Brussels (Belgium) that display the current status of heat demand and resources. These maps will contribute to identifying the most economically feasible and technologically effective pathway to decarbonisation by 2050 for 14 EU Member States. It also provides policy recommendations to the Energy Union and its market actors. Local and regional governments are invited to attend the Brussels event, discuss and engage in the HRE process.

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