{"id":117783,"date":"2025-05-19T08:50:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T06:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=117783"},"modified":"2025-05-22T17:23:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T15:23:22","slug":"germany-france-and-poland-could-equip-every-energy-poor-home-with-a-heat-pump-using-the-social-climate-fund-new-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/it\/social-climate-fund-could-deliver-heat-pumps-to-20-million-energy-poor-households-across-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Climate Fund could deliver heat pumps to 20 million energy-poor households across Europe, new study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new\u00a0study<\/a> finds that by investing one-third of the Social Climate Fund, the EU could subsidise up to 20 million heat pumps by 2032 \u2014 enough to reach all energy-poor households in nine EU countries and cut EU gas demand by 11%,<\/strong>\u00a0nearly as much as the EU\u00a0imported<\/a>\u00a0from Russia\u00a0in 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EU Social Climate Fund (SCF)\u00a0<\/strong>could be a game-changer for Europe\u2019s\u00a0heating transition, accelerating the rollout of fossil-free technologies like heat pumps and solar thermal systems.<\/p>\n

Commissioned by the\u00a0European Environmental Bureau (EEB)<\/strong>\u00a0and carried out by\u00a0LCP Delta<\/strong>, the study finds that one-third of the SCF alone could pay for over\u00a020 million heat pumps<\/strong>. Countries like Germany, France and Poland could use their share to provide one to every energy-poor household.<\/p>\n

However, across the EU as a whole, this funding would cover only\u00a065% of all energy-poor households<\/strong>, indicating the need to tap into broader ETS2 revenues. The study estimates that if Member States combine one-third of the SCF with\u00a0one-third of ETS2 revenues\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 expected to exceed \u20ac260 billion \u2014 they could deploy\u00a0100 million heat pumps<\/strong>\u00a0across the EU.\u00a0 This would not only shield households from fossil fuel price shocks, but also help the EU meet its climate targets for heating and cooling.<\/p>\n

Read the\u00a0full report<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quote<\/strong><\/u><\/h4>\n
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\u201cNumbers don\u2019t lie. The Social Climate Fund could deal the final blow to our dependence on Putin\u2019s gas,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said\u00a0Davide Sabbadin<\/strong>, Deputy Policy Manager for Climate and Energy at the EEB.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the main barriers to heat pumps is their upfront cost. The new carbon price will change that: it will both discourage gas use and generate revenue to support the shift to clean heating. These findings show that by recycling part of the carbon revenues into a mix of grants and zero-interest loans, EU countries can support their energy-poor households in leaving fossil heating behind.<\/em><\/p>\n

But carbon revenues are no silver bullet. Without fixing electricity taxes and scaling up support for heat pumps, this funding won\u2019t be enough to fund clean heating in countries like Romania or Bulgaria\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Impact varies across EU states<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The study also highlights significant disparities across Member States. Countries like\u00a0France, Poland, Portugal,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Germany<\/strong>\u00a0could already support all energy-poor households using one-third of SCF funds alone, thanks to existing support schemes.<\/p>\n

Others \u2014including\u00a0Italy, Belgium,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Czechia<\/strong>\u2014 will need to draw on additional ETS2 revenues to close the gap or improve national support policies to meet the same goals.<\/p>\n

In contrast,\u00a0Romania, Bulgaria, Greece<\/strong>, and\u00a0Estonia\u00a0<\/strong>are unlikely to reach all energy-poor households even when combining both funding streams. The main obstacles: weak national support frameworks, high electricity taxes, and limited incentives for clean heating.<\/p>\n

These differences reflect disparities in housing stock, energy taxation, and national support schemes across the bloc. In some countries, subsidised loans may be enough; in others, full grants are essential to enable households to make the switch.<\/p>\n

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Decisive moment for Member States<\/strong><\/h4>\n

With\u00a0National Social Climate Plans\u00a0<\/strong>due by\u00a0June 2025<\/strong>, experts are urging governments to prioritise clean heating \u2014particularly for vulnerable households\u2014 when deciding how to spend this historic carbon revenue windfall.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

Notes for editors<\/strong><\/u><\/h5>\n