Share of renewables in heating and cooling surges to 25% EU-wide

Green Forum
Heating and cooling energy constituted approximately half of the EU's total gross final energy consumption. In 2022, the proportion of renewable energy utilized for heating and cooling experienced a notable uptick, with the EU-wide average reaching 24.8%, marking a 1.8 percentage point increase from 2021's figure of 23.0%, according to the Eurostat data.

Sweden led the way when it came to renewables in heating and cooling, with a 69.3% share, followed by Estonia (65.4%). Both countries use mostly biomass and heat pumps. They are followed by Latvia (61.0%), which relies mostly on biomass.

In contrast, the lowest shares of renewable sources for heating and cooling were recorded in Ireland (6.3%), the Netherlands (8.6%) and Belgium (10.4%).

Significant increases compared to 2021 were observed in Malta (+5.2 pp), Luxembourg (+2.5 pp), and Ireland (+1.4 pp), while decreases were noted in Austria (-2.4 pp), Slovenia (-1.2 pp), and Cyprus (-1.0 pp).

In absolute terms, the gross final consumption of renewable energy for heating and cooling within the EU has shown a steady rise over the years, largely driven by biomass and heat pumps. Over a decade, the average share of renewable energy in heating and cooling escalated from 18.6% to 24.8% (+6.2 pp). 

However, substantial efforts are imperative to meet the ambitious targets outlined in the EU Directive 2023/2413, compelling member states to progressively elevate their annual average share of renewables in heating and cooling, aiming for at least a 0.8 pp increase from 2021 to 2025 and a minimum of 1.1 pp increase from 2026 to 2030.

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