Heating our homes with boilers is expensive, polluting, unfair for households and ties us to fossil fuel imports. But, the EU can drive the shift to clean heating technologies like heat pumps powered by affordable, home-produced renewable electricity!

We are we better without boilers!

  • More energy independence
  • Less financing for petrostates
  • Improved air quality
  • Lower energy bills
  • Averted climate crisis
  • Boosted economy

Here’s how we get to sustainable and affordable heating:

1. Shift subsidies from oil and gas boilers to renewable heating

10 EU countries have stopped financial support for new boilers and redirected financing to sustainable alternatives such as heat pumps and solar thermal.

10 EU governments still support new oil or gas boilers with subsidies or tax rebates. In most countries, funding for the switch to renewable heating isn't enough.

What we need: Instead of using taxpayer money to finance polluting oil and gas boilers, politicians must reallocate financial resources to ensure that renewable heating systems are affordable for all. Through the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the EU can put an end to the public financing of new boiler installations, starting from 2025.

2. End the sale of new gas boilers from 2025 to boost access to renewable heating

Boilers installed 20 years ago are still running today, so the longer we continue installing them, the more we lock in emissions and dependence on expensive gas and oil for future generations.

10 countries in Europe have taken measures to stop the installation of new boilers in buildings, and the sale of renewable heating technologies is increasing across Europe.

What we need: After 2025, retired boilers must be replaced with a more efficient and sustainable heating system like a heat pump, solar thermal or renewable district heating.

To become climate neutral by 2050, the International Energy Agency says we need a ban on new gas boilers from 2025. Through the revision of ecodesign rules for water and space heaters, which set the environmental requirements that heating appliances must meet to be allowed on the EU market, the EU can make this happen.

3. Stop labelling gas boilers as "green"

Today, the EU rewards most gas boilers with an 'A' energy class, the highest energy efficiency and sustainability label for an appliance.

This is truly misleading for consumers.

Boilers are among the least efficient and sustainable heating systems. For example, heat pumps are 3 to 4 times more efficient than boilers and can produce zero CO2 emissions.

What we need: In the new energy labelling system the EU is working on, gas boilers should be downgraded to the bottom of the scale - to an F or G label - to show consumers their true impact on energy consumption and the planet. More efficient and sustainable solutions will be higher on the scale, making energy labels genuinely informative for consumers. In any case, by 2025, gas boilers should be out of the market'.

Explore the data

How many countries still subsidise new gas boilers? Which countries are racing ahead with heat pump installations? How much gas will a boiler phase-out save? Delve into the data to find out more.

Which countries are already leaving boilers in the past?

This map shows which European countries have taken steps to move away from boilers and which still subsidise fossil fuel heating. Click on a country to show national data.

Bans on new oil boilers in buildings
Across Europe

10 countries in Europe have made plans to ban the installation of new oil and gas boilers in new and/or existing buildings. However, 15 European countries still provided subsidies for new fossil fuel domestic heating systems in 2022. In recent years, European countries have spent over €3 billion on fossil fuel heating subsidies: had this amount been used to roll-out heat pumps, up to 1 million more households could have clean, gas-free heating today.

Source: Mission Possible: funding the renewable heating transition, published by Cool Products, July 2023


Who is leading the race on heat pumps?

Select a filter to see progress on heat pump installation across Europe and compare this to the number of fossil fuel boilers. Click on a country to see national data.

110
90
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10
Across Europe

Heat pumps

Installing 60 million more heat pumps by 2030, in line with EU targets, would:

  • Reduce the EU’s gas demand in buildings by 40%
  • Reduce the EU’s energy import bill by €60 billion
  • Cut average heating bills by 20%
  • Reduce the EU’s CO2 emissions from buildings by 46%

Heat pumps are gaining ground in Europe. In 2022, 3 million heat pumps were sold, a growth of almost 38% compared to 2021, bringing the total stock of heat pumps to around 20 million. Source: Europe’s Leap to Heat Pumps: the socio-economic and climate benefits unlocked by a fast heat pump rollout

In 2020, there were 5.9 million air-to-water heat pumps installed, compared to 90.5 million boilers.

Heat pumps installed (2020)

Heat pumps sold (2020)

Heat pumps installed and heat pumps sold

Source: European Heating Industry, the European Heat Pump Association and local statistical sources
Notes: Heat pump data exclude air-to-air heat pumps and heat pumps for hot water. Boiler data include oil and gas boilers. Data is for 2020, unless otherwise stated.

Will moving away from boilers save gas?

This chart shows the amount of gas imports, including those from Russia, that could be avoided with a switch away from gas boilers from 2025. Click on a bar to see national data.

2030 gas savings with a ban on new boilers in 2025 (TWh)
Gas consumption for heating (TWh, in 2017)
Source: Coolproducts & Oeko Institut
Gas imports

Buildings are very gas-hungry. They are responsible for around 38% of the EU’s gas use. Heating accounts for the majority of that because most households in Europe have gas boilers. To meet its gas needs, the EU relies heavily on imports, with Russia being the main provider.

If EU countries stop the sale of new boilers from 2025, they would save 360 TWh (over 36 bcm) of gas consumption by 2030. This is the equivalent to saving 21% of Russian imports by 2030.

We are we better without boilers!

Heating with gas and oil not only wrecks the climate, it forces energy bills upwards and locks Europe into long-term dependency on energy imports. Alternatives to boilers, like heat pumps, solar thermal and district heating powered by wind, solar and geothermal energy would give Europeans the energy security and affordable bills that they deserve.

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There are currently
boilers in the EU
A new boiler is installed every 8 seconds

About us

Better Without Boilers calls upon the EU and European leaders to support the shift away from oil and gas boilers to cleaner, more affordable alternatives for Europeans to heat their homes.

Contact us

For more information or if your organisation would like to join the campaign, email us at info@betterwithoutboilers.eu

Would you like to know more?

Heating with gas and oil not only wrecks the climate, it forces energy bills upwards and locks Europe into long-term dependency on energy imports. Alternatives to boilers, like heat pumps, solar thermal and district heating powered by wind, solar and geothermal energy would give Europeans the energy security and affordable bills that they deserve.