Category: News (EN)

Report D2.1 on framework conditions presents an overview of policy strategies, measures and instruments related to heating and cooling (HC) equipment. It identifies the main replacement drivers and barriers, and presents success stories of HC replacement projects/instruments in each project region, which can potentially be replicated. And the report identifies five key challenges for the implementation of RHC replacement, e.g. better awareness of end-consumers for more informed decisions, and regulatory provisions that give a clear planning horizon and milestones for a complete phase out of fossil fuelled and inefficient heating systems.

Countries covered by the report are Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Spain.

The second REPLACE consortium meeting took place 19th – 20th May 2020. Originally planned to proceed in one of the project’s partner regions, the Bavarian Oberland in Germany, due to Covid19 the venue was changed into a virtual, but nonetheless fruitful collaboration. Besides the 12 project partners, the team this time could welcome three advisory board members:

The first meeting of REPLACE’s Oberland Local Working Group took place on 25^th February – a date with the descriptive name “sooty Friday” which is a traditional chimney sweepers’ day in the region. At the meeting in Penzberg, knowledge and networks were brought together to bundle forces for a heating system change in the region. Representatives from energy consultancies, chimney sweepers, the Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Oberbayern, and the Consumer Advice Center Bavaria were present.

Last week REGEA held a first Local Working Group meeting in North-West Croatia. Although it was supposed to be held at REGEA’s premises, the extraordinary pandemic-situation did not stop regular project activities. With the help of a communication platform and online survey tools, the meeting was successfully organised online. Going online REGEA enabled the representatives of the private and public sectors, chimney associations and energy cooperatives to discuss, from the comfort of their own home, the challenges and possibilities of replacing inefficient home heating and cooling systems in Croatia. In addition, the group discussed future project activities aimed at informing as many citizens as possible about the environmental and economic benefits of new heating and cooling systems and encouraging them to replace inefficient heating systems in their homes.

The future is renewable and efficient – new website on sustainable heating and cooling was recently launched!

Half of Europe’s energy consumption is used for heating or cooling. Currently, 80 million heating and cooling systems are inefficient. REPLACE, the new EU-project, is helping to change this situation with service-oriented boiler-replacement campaigns in 9 countries across Europe. A first glimpse into this exciting new project is now possible on REPLACE’s freshly launched website.

On February 5th, Austrian Energy Agency´s REPLACE workshop took place: with national stakeholders and a representative of the state of Salzburg, a pilot region in Austria.

Participants of the workshop were federal representatives of end consumers, guilds, renewable energies, ministeries, funding agencies, boiler manufacturers and contractors, exchanging views on the implementation of REPLACE in the target region of Salzburg.

In the course of 2020, another meeting of the group is envisaged in order to receive information about the progress in Salzburg and to be able to contribute ideas. That way, the group acts as a national advisory board of the Local Working Group in Salzburg

Invitations went out: REPLACE’s Local Working Group for the Bayerisches Oberland starts in Penzberg in February. During four to five meetings, replacement-campaigns will be developed and implemented: inefficient heating systems in exchange for economic and eco-friendly ones.