Cool Heating Coalition
CHC
Working together towards decarbonized renewable and affordable heating in the EU by 2040.
ID: 183123451856-29
Lobbying Activity
Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness
11 Nov 2025
As President von der Leyen highlighted in her State of the Union address, Europe is a front-runner in the clean-tech race and well positioned to thrive in a decarbonised economy. Around 40% of the worlds heat pump technology companies are based in the EU. To ensure that our clean heating and cooling (H&C) industry remains globally competitive, the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) should allocate dedicated resources to support the deployment of solar thermal, heat pump, aqua-thermal, and geothermal technologies. We - the Cool Heating Coalition, representing civil societys voice on H&C - welcome the mentioning of this sector in the ECF. However, this is not enough: Given that heating and cooling account for roughly half of Europes emissions, its decarbonisation warrants a dedicated fund.
Read full responseResponse to New European Bauhaus
17 Oct 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice for sustainable heating and cooling (H&C), welcomes the Commission's initiative to ensure sustainable and resilient neighbourhoods under the New European Bauhaus initiative. Responding to the call for evidence, we recommend putting a stronger focus on the following aspects: ensure lower running costs through energy renovations, expand clean district H&C networks in urban areas, foster resilience through cooling projects, tackle air pollution through clean H&C solutions, train installers to accelerate the clean transition and allow for citizens participation by strengthen energy communities and benefit sharing.
Read full responseMeeting with Sigrid Friis (Member of the European Parliament)
13 Oct 2025 · Heating and Cooling
Response to Electrification Action Plan
8 Oct 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice on heating and cooling (H&C), sees accelerated electrification as the best path towards a prosperous, competitive and resilient Europe. To reach Europes emissions targets under the Paris Agreement, at least 60% of the energy used in buildings must be electrified by 2040. Accelerating the transition to clean, renewable electricity in the H&C sector will lead to: 1. Fewer fossil fuel imports, more energy security, and less exposure to geopolitics. 2. Higher efficiency in the energy system, making Europe more competitive. 3. A more flexible electricity system, keeping system costs and consumer bills lower. 4. Fewer GHG emissions and less pollution and greenhouse gases to improve both the climate and human health. To unlock these benefits, the Cool Heating Coalition would like to share the following recommendations for the Electrification Action Plan (EAP): 1. Embed electrification in an energy systems integration perspective. 2. Correct the electricity-to-gas price ratio. 3. Protect vulnerable households from fossil fuel lock-in. 4. Accelerate demand reduction to avoid rebound effects. 5. Embed the EAP in a broader legislative framework. 6. No support for false solutions. For more details, please see the document attached. The Cool Heating Coalition remains at your full disposal for any questions or further input.
Read full responseResponse to Heating and cooling strategy
8 Oct 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice on heating and cooling (H&C), would like to present its recommendations for the H&C Strategy that we believe will bring the EU closer to seizing the full benefits of clean H&C such as: 1. greater energy security by reducing geopolitical dependencies, 2. more affordable energy for consumers, 3. improved air quality, 4. decreased GHG emissions and 5. higher overall energy system efficiency. Given the long lifetimes of building components, buildings must be largely decarbonised by 2040 to meet the 2050 full decarbonisation goal. There still is a long way to go: decarbonised renewables like heat pumps, geothermal, and solar thermal represent only around 6% of the EUs residential energy consumption for H&C. To accelerate the uptake of these technologies, the EU should implement measures addressing obstacles in regard to financing, implementation of existing legislation, promote behavioural change, and take specific measures on cooling. For more details, please see the document attached. The Cool Heating Coalition remains at your full disposal for any questions or further input.
Read full responseResponse to Citizens energy package – protecting and empowering consumers in the just transition
10 Sept 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, representing civil society on heating and cooling, recommends the following to enable citizens to fully participate in the energy transition: First, ensure a just transition by addressing energy poverty, enforcing consumer rights and protections, and providing accessible financing. Second, empower citizens and communities by supporting energy communities with legal and administrative guidance, establishing a clear framework for benefit sharing, and ensuring access to reliable information. A rapid and inclusive transition to clean heating and cooling systems will advance Europes decarbonisation goals, strengthen energy security, and enhance competitiveness. It will also benefit public health through reduced air pollution. For more details regarding the recommendations, please refer to the attached document.
Read full responseResponse to European climate resilience and risk management law
4 Sept 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, representing civil society on decarbonised heating and cooling, welcomes the Commissions initiative on climate resilience and risk management. With temperatures in Europe steadily rising, access to cooling is becoming an essential service for all EU citizens. We therefore urge the Commission to adopt measures that ensure adequate indoor thermal conditions, affordability, sustainability, and system stability. Such measures should include passive approaches such as greening cities as well as promoting the most efficient and clean cooling systems. As outlined in the attached file, EU policy should be guided by an avoidimproveshiftprotect approach.
Read full responseResponse to Energy labelling of low temperature heat emitters
29 Jul 2025
Attached you will find the recommendations of the Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice on heating and cooling.
Read full responseResponse to European Affordable Housing Plan
4 Jun 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice for sustainable heating and cooling (H&C), supports the Commissions intent to address high housing costs in Europe in the European Affordable Housing Plan. The Coalition stresses the essential role that sustainable H&C solutions must play in the design, renovation, and construction of housing across the EU. Given that roughly 85% to 90% of the existing built stock will be still operational in 2050 and that a large share of dwellings in the EU is unoccupied, we expect the solution to the housing crisis focusing mostly on existing buildings. Hence, their renovation, leading to sustainable running costs is paramount. Ensuring access to efficient, clean, and future-proof H&C systems is not only vital for affordability but also for public health, energy security and alignment with the Unions climate goals. It should, therefore, be a central part of the plan.
Read full responseResponse to European Democracy Shield
26 May 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice on the heating and cooling (H&C) transition, agrees that EU democracies are facing information manipulation and mis- and disinformation threatening the integrity of democratic processes. In the attachment to this response to the call for evidence, we will provide input for the European Democracy Shield Communication in three parts: general considerations, highlighted studies, and other studies for your consideration.
Read full responseResponse to Policy agenda for cities
26 May 2025
For the Cool Heating Coalition, the civil society voice on heating and cooling (H&C), transition cities play a significant role in the H&C transition. For example, cities and dense urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than the surrounding rural areas the so-called Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect creating challenges specific to them. For further information, see our full feedback attached.
Read full response5 May 2025
The Cool Heating Coalition welcomes the revised methodology to calculate minimum energy performance requirements, but would like to highlight a few concerns and key points to be taken into consideration. Please find the full contribution in attachment.
Read full responseMeeting with Dario Tamburrano (Member of the European Parliament) and Confartigianato Imprese
5 Dec 2024 · Priorità per la legislatura
Response to Fitness check – energy security architecture
25 Nov 2024
CHC, an EU-level umbrella organisation of 16 NGOs and think tanks, welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the European Commission on the EUs energy security architecture. Our vision is for decarbonised, renewable and affordable heating and cooling (H&C) to be a reality in the EU by 2040, a key component to ensure the EU economy-wide net-zero target is met. Renewable-based H&C systems are crucial to ensure the decarbonisation of the building stock and thus the EUs goals on affordability, (energy) security and climate. Please find our full contribution in the attachement.
Read full responseMeeting with András Gyürk (Member of the European Parliament)
25 Sept 2024 · Overview of the state of play on EU Geothermal policy
Response to Review of energy labelling requirements for solid fuel boilers
21 Dec 2023
The Cool Heating Coalition welcomes the Commissions initiative to review the energy labelling and ecodesign requirements for solid-fuel boilers. We broadly concur with its analysis of the shortcomings of current energy labelling and ecodesign requirements. In addition, we would like to note that: a) Residential solid fuel appliances are a major source of pollutants, with detrimental consequences for consumers health as well as the climate; b) The EEA reported that in the residential, commercial and institutional sector, it is responsible for 37% of black carbon, 58% of particulate matter (PM2.5), and 85% of benzo(a)pyrene emissions in the EU in 2020; c) The EEA reported that in 2020, 238.000 deaths were attributable to PM2.5 air pollution; d) The insufficiency of pollutant limits become particularly clear when compared to those set on vehicles. Solid fuel appliances in 2022 are allowed to emit 60 times the particulate matter (per GJ) compared to heavy duty vehicles from 2006. When compared to heavy duty vehicles from 2014, they are allowed to emit 750 times as much. An approach to best achieve improvements of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions abatement, which are the stated aims of this review, in light of the current shortcomings, should include: a) Merging the label with lots 1 and 2 on space and water heaters; b) Setting ambitious energy efficiency thresholds at nominal and partial load; c) Setting ambitious pollutant limits at nominal and partial load. This should include BAT-based emission limit values. For particle mass we would support a limit of 2.5 mg/Nm3 (following Germanys 'Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings' programme). For PN, there should be a limit value (as for vehicles) with a threshold of 2x10^6/cm3. For OGC, we support a limit of at least 3 mg/Nm3 for automatically stoked solid fuel boilers and would encourage investigating the possibility of lowering limits for manually stoked solid fuel boilers in a similar manner; d) Adjusting test methods to measure all PM produced after combustion; e) Extending the scope of the legislation by including 1) non-woody biomass, and 2) solid fuel boilers with a rated heat output between 500 kW and 1000 kW; f) Adjusting the regulation to exclude placing on the market and putting into service fossil fuel boilers in line with the JRCs 2021 recommendation. In the medium term, we strongly advise that pollutant limits for solid-fuel boilers are set at least equal to the emission limits (on PM, PN and NOx) for EURO VI trucks.
Read full responseResponse to Ecodesign requirements for solid fuel local space heaters (review)
14 Dec 2023
The Cool Heating Coalition welcomes the Commissions initiative to review ecodesign requirements for solid-fuel local space heaters. We generally agree with the description of the issues with the current ecodesign requirements. In addition, we would like to note that: - The 2022 EU energy crisis induced by Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine led to an increase in the sale of solid fuels and solid fuel appliances for local space heating as a response to rising gas prices. - A year on, European gas prices remain subject to volatility, and will likely remain so for several years to come , which would risk strong demand for solid fuel appliances if no action is taken. - Residential solid fuel appliances are a major source of pollutants, with detrimental consequences for consumers health as well as the climate. - The EEA reported that in the residential, commercial and institutional sector, it is responsible for 58% of particulate matter (PM2.5), 37% of black carbon (BC) (soot), 85% of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) emissions in the EU in 2020. - The carcinogenics BC and BaP are currently not regulated. - BC is especially relevant when discussing solid fuel local space heaters. - Solid fuel local space heaters have been shown to significantly increase indoor air pollution. - Testing methods are currently based on optimal conditions, for example in terms of the load of stoves. Real-life emissions are likely very different from those registered in lab testing. The improvement of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas and CO2 and pollutant emissions abatement - the stated aims of the revision of the Ecodesign Regulation for solid fuel local space heaters (EC 2015/1185) - will, in light of the current shortcomings, significantly benefit from: - Setting ambitious energy efficiency thresholds at nominal and partial load, with test methods reflecting real-life usage conditions, for example, by including different types of fuel used and including the ignition phase. Controls by third-parties will also be important to maintain the consistency of generated data. - Refraining from any changes in the energy efficiency methodology for determining the energy content of wood. - Setting ambitious pollutant limits at nominal and partial load by setting BAT-based emission limit values. We support a PM limit of 1) 15 mg/m3 for log wood, and 2) 10 mg/m3, for wood in the form of pellets. We support thresholds of 1) 2x10^6/cm3 for PN (as for vehicles), 2) 500mg/m3 for carbon monoxide, 3) 40 mgC/m3 for OGC, and 4) 10 mgC/m3 wood pellet fired heaters. - Extending the scope of the legislation by including the right now unregulated pollutants BC and BaP. - Mandating electronic combustion air controls in solid fuel local space heaters as set out in the requirements for the Blue Angel label in Germany. - Mandating the inclusion of emissions-abatement technologies (e.g. electrostatic precipitators or catalytic converters). Such technologies can lead to drastic improvements. Tests by the Blue Angel eco-label showed, for example, that the electrostatic precipitator can reduce PN by 97% and PM by 84%. - Adjusting the regulation to exclude fossil solid fuel space heaters from being placed on the market and put into service. In the medium term, we strongly advise that pollutant limits for solid-fuel boilers are set at least equal to the emission limits (on PM, PN and NOx) for EURO VI trucks.
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