Count on Cooling: The European Heating & Cooling Industry’s Commitments Toward Sustainable Cooling

The United Nations hosted the 2019 Climate Action Summit in New York this week to boost ambition and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In this context, EPEE, representing the European heating and cooling industry, published a pledge, outlining the industry’s commitments to be an active and supportive industry player to provide and promote sustainable cooling solutions on the way to a carbon neutral Europe.

Cooling is an intrinsic part of our lives and provides multiple benefits: it makes our cities livable, keeps our food safe and fresh, contributes to best-in-class health care and helps us to keep pace with digitalisation. The demand for cooling is set to grow significantly in the coming decades as the climate is warming – and even more so in the light of current major demographic trends. In Europe alone, the number of air-conditioners and refrigerators is expected to double by 2030. On a global level, cooling is predicted to become the single largest user of electricity in buildings by 2050. The growing demand for cooling will impact energy consumption and if not properly addressed also the emissions. In line with the UN goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by 2050, EPEE members are undertaking actions to support EU Member States to deliver on the EU’s Paris Agreement commitments.

Andrea Voigt, EPEE’s Director General, states: “EPEE believes in global action such as the implementation of the Kigali Amendment, enhanced National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and dedicated national heating and cooling plans to address emissions in a way that is economically viable, affordable and accessible to people, compatible with high safety standards and promotes energy efficiency as a fundamental pillar of the energy transition.”

Concrete actions listed in the pledge include:

• EPEE will continue to support a full and harmonised understanding of the EU F-Gas Regulation and its implementation across Europe, as well as global action in the context of the Kigali Amendment via dedicated tools and partnerships;
• EPEE will continue to support EU Member States to develop and implement their national energy and climate plans (NECPs), raising awareness on the potential of sustainable cooling to improve energy efficiency, shift to renewable energies and enable carbon neutrality;
• EPEE will reach out to authorities and other stakeholders to highlight and address barriers preventing the uptake of sustainable cooling solutions and their integration with heating.

“EPEE members will continue to undertake concrete, proactive actions to raise awareness about sustainable cooling solutions as these must become mainstream on the way to carbon neutrality,” concluded Voigt.