The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) has welcomed the European Commission’s Electrification Action Plan and called for a dedicated European Heating and Cooling Initiative supported by financial and fiscal incentives.
The plan aims to increase electricity’s share of final energy consumption in the EU, currently around 23%, through a binding 2040 electrification target, expanded energy storage capacity and measures covering industry, transport and buildings.
EPEE welcomed the planned EU Waste Heat Initiative and the objective of meeting 11% of EU heat demand through waste heat recovery by 2050. The organisation said the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump sector can contribute by recovering and reusing heat from industrial processes, cooling and refrigeration systems, and data centres.
The association also backed targeted support for heat pump deployment, including VAT reductions and financing mechanisms addressing upfront costs. According to the Commission estimate cited by EPEE, electrification could save the EU as much as €200 billion in avoided fossil fuel imports by 2040.
“Europe cannot accelerate electrification without making efficient technologies genuinely affordable. At the same time, access to cooling is becoming essential to protect people during increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat. The Electrification Action Plan is a strong starting point, but it must be followed by concrete measures supporting the entire heating and cooling sector,” said Russell Patten, Director General of EPEE.
