Heating and cooling of buildings in the EU is responsible for 80% of all energy used in European households, emitting a total of 592 million tonnes of CO2 per year! This is due to the reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling, which compromises our emission targets, our citizens’ health and the efficiency of our economy. In Europe today, still, 72% of our buildings’ heating relies on fossil fuels.
If these facts sound alarming, know that there is good news too! Cities are stepping up as key players in the transition towards cleaner heating and cooling solutions. These detoxes can take many forms, many aiming for a full-city detox by leveraging district heating and replacing carbon-heavy and polluting sources with cleaner, healthier ingredients.
Zooming in on cities’ heat decarbonisation, the Cities Heat Detox campaign advocates for healthy heat in cities. It aims to showcase inspiring stories and the motives behind them, as well as the benefits, impacts, sources and conditions of a good heat detox! But one step at a time: this detox journey is only just starting.
To begin: let’s focus on 3 big reasons WHY you should detox your city's heat!
1. Detox your heat for cleaner air
Carbon emissions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to heating and cooling. This sector is largely responsible for air pollution in cities, namely when it comes to emitting PM2.5, a deadly particulate matter responsible for more than 200.000 deaths a year in Europe! By avoiding toxic sources and focusing on clean detox ingredients, your city’s air quality improves, alongside your citizens’ health.
"With modern heating devices, we would like to improve the health of the citizens and air quality as well." - Adam Marton, Climate commissioner for the Mayor of Miskolc, Hungary
2. Detox your heat for a stronger economy
Investing in new and green technologies can be scary, as families fear they will pay the price of sustainability in their electricity bill. However, the cities taking steps towards their heat detox report happy citizens with heavier pockets.
Moreover, new sustainable heat technologies have huge potential when it comes to creating jobs. If, for instance, we harnessed the full potential of solar heating in Europe until 2030, we would generate a sector turnover exceeding €24 billion and create 250.000 jobs across the continent!
3. Detox your heat for more resilient communities
With toxic emissions and expensive volatile prices, relying on fossil fuels from abroad makes our communities vulnerable and dependent, while also contributing to climate change’s long-term effects. This was clear following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when prices skyrocketed due to reliance on Russian imports. For Munich, the path is clear: decarbonised, local and renewable heat sources ensure more independence and resilience!
"Heat decarbonisation makes us more independent of primary energy carriers like oil and gas, and we can rely more on our own resources at home." - Tilmann Rave, Head of heat planning in the department of energy and climate of the city of Munich, Germany
And if these weren’t enough pathways to resilience and security, cities’ heat detoxes have proven to be also useful in the fight against energy poverty. In the Lyon Metropolitan area, for instance, households connected to the district heating grid pay much less and can count on more stable prices thanks to a mix of local and renewable energies.
"This system (...) [enables us] to have prices that are lower, sometimes by several hundred euros, than the price of other energies, whether fuel oil, gas or electricity, whatever the system. And in addition to the lowest price, we also have a more stable price, with an energy mix, notably with renewable and local energies, that allows us to have better control over prices." - Philippe Guelpa-Bonaro, Vice-President of the Lyon Métropole
Unlocking cities’ potential
Cities have the potential and the will to make a big difference. Having experienced the negative impacts of carbon-heavy heat, and the benefits of a thorough heat detox, they seek to implement solutions that bring them closer to climate neutrality and a clean environment.
Through effective heat planning and the expansion of collective solutions like decarbonised district heating, local governments can phase out toxic sources in their heating on a large scale. And with so many healthy ingredients to choose from – geothermal, solar heat, recovered waste heat, large scale water-based heat pumps...- there is personalised detox mix suitable for every city and town!
For now, we covered the reasons and benefits of a heat detox, but we will get to all the methods and conditions in time... Stay tuned and join us for this year-long campaign to discover all about cities’ journey to healthier heat and cool.
Be a part of the campaign!
Your city has started a detox? Whether you are planning or implementing decarbonised heating in your city, be sure to share your story with the rest of the community. Submit your heat detox story to get featured on our map.
SHARE YOUR STORY.
For more information, visit our webpage and follow the #CitiesHeatDetox and #HealthyHeat4Cities on social media.
For regular updates, SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAMPAIGN!
Details
- Publication date
- 13 September 2024