As Europe navigates the twin challenges of energy security and climate neutrality, the role of Ecodesign policy is gaining renewed importance. In this interview, the European Commission shares its perspective on how future regulations can balance environmental performance, technological innovation, and affordability—while ensuring that biomass and local space heaters remain a viable part of the EU’s diverse energy landscape.
Looking ahead, how does the European Commission view the role of Ecodesign policy in shaping a modern, efficient, and future-proof framework for local space heaters across the European Union?
Biomass is today, and will continue to be in the future, a relevant energy source for many households across the EU. This is again underlined in the current situation of geopolitical instability, where biomass can help reduce EU dependency on energy imports. In this context, biomass-fuelled appliances like log wood and pellet local space heaters can play a role in the configuration of the energy system, although this potential should be compatible with legitimate air quality objectives such as the reduction of particle matter (PM), which is particularly prevalent in urban areas.
Ecodesign legislation must take into account both aspects and ensure that reasonable environmental requirements are put in place, without undermining affordability and secure access to local space heaters. This is the objective of the ongoing review of the current EU requirements. This is being intensively discussed with industry and other stakeholders to reach a balanced compromise. At the same time, future legislation has to remain technologically relevant for some years, reducing the need for frequent burdensome regulatory reviews that would create legal uncertainty among stakeholders, increase red tape and costs to adapt accordingly.
From your perspective, what are the key objectives that will guide the Commission’s work on energy efficiency for buildings and products in the coming years, particularly with regard to environmental performance, innovation, and regulatory coherence?
The main EU legislation to reduce the negative environmental impact of the European building stock is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Amongst others, it requires new heating systems to be installed with higher environmental performance. In the EPBD context, updated ecodesign measures for heating systems, including for heat pumps, gas boilers and local space heaters, help architects and builders meet the requirements of the EPBD. They do so by providing the market with advanced products to reduce the negative environmental impact of heating and other buildings systems, such as for cooling or warm water. In the same sense, ecodesign is very useful for Member States to reach their national targets under general energy and environmental legislation, such as the Ambient Air Quality Directive or the Energy Efficiency Directive. Current and future action on ecodesign should closely align with the environmental objectives of those more general policies.
Local space heaters remain an important element of the European heating landscape. How does the Commission see Ecodesign contributing to a balanced and technology-open approach that reflects the diversity of heating solutions and regional contexts within the EU?
The role of ecodesign is to put in place feasible and cost-effective requirements that improve the average of the market without undermining the affordability of solid fuel local space heaters as a heating option. Affordability is one of the main aspects addressed in the current review. The premise is to ensure that households that rely on biomass as an accessible and secure way of heating can continue to do so, regardless of their income or the place where they live. In addition, consumers must also be confident that, by using ecodesign-compliant products, the negative environmental impact of heating is minimised. This will contribute to safeguarding the role of local space heaters in our heating system, while addressing social concerns about the environmental effects of burning biomass.
Innovation plays a central role in achieving Europe’s energy and climate goals. How does the Commission intend to ensure that the Ecodesign framework continues to support technological progress and encourages manufacturers to invest in advanced, low-emission solutions?
There is still room for technological improvement of solid fuel local space heaters. In fact, there are highly sophisticated models already on the market. It is, however, not the role of ecodesign to require only very advanced products, because this could increase prices in the short term and keep out of the market companies that are unable to catch up with high-end technology.
The goal of ecodesign is rather to support innovation without favouring one specific solution over another. Lower emissions are still possible through more efficient combustion by, for instance, using improved materials, reducing air leakages or optimising the number, layout and shape of air inlets. The energy label, as a complement to the ecodesign minimum requirements, could further support technological progress by including information on emissions. It is important that consumers are provided with reliable information about different levels of environmental performance of appliances so that they can differentiate between basic ecodesign-compliant products and more advanced ones. This can also encourage manufacturers to implement best available technologies like catalysts (broadly used in the US), electrostatic precipitators or automatic airflow controls. To emphasise, this not as a mandatory requirement, but on a voluntary basis.
Stakeholder dialogue is a cornerstone of EU policymaking. How does DG Energy approach cooperation with manufacturers, craftspeople, national authorities, and other stakeholders to ensure that Ecodesign requirements are well understood and practically implementable?
Communication and continuous dialogue with stakeholders and Member States’ authorities is an essential part of the ecodesign and energy labelling decision-making process. This is ensured through an open process, where all stakeholders are consulted at numerous stages, including on the draft requirements.
It is the Member States themselves who have the final say over the proposed text through a vote. No formal proposal will be tabled by the Commission without actively and intensively discussing with the main representatives of the sector. It is very important that stakeholders and authorities are aware of this transparent and inclusive process and EU-level organisations that are closely involved in the process have an essential role to play in ensuring stakeholders and national authorities are made aware of this process in an effective and timely way.
Understanding the process is therefore a first step in achieving a constructive dialogue. At the same time, it is to the advantage of everyone involved to be mindful of the issues and mutual interests at stake. This includes technological feasibility but also the need to improve air quality, which has a direct influence on premature deaths in the EU related to cancer or cardiopathic diseases. As well as the human cost, there is also a societal cost, although less visible than the price of a product. Environmental and industrial considerations don’t need to be in contradiction with one another but rather complement one another. The end result is updated ecodesign requirements that satisfy all stakeholders in this sector, whether producers, consumers, or simply engaged citizens.
As energy systems and buildings become increasingly interconnected, how does the Commission see Ecodesign contributing to a more holistic perspective on buildings, energy efficiency, and the overall performance of the energy system?
Ecodesign has an important role to play in decarbonising the building stock and the wider energy system. Buildings account for 40% of the total energy consumed in the EU and 36% of total emissions. Installing cleaner, and more energy-efficient, heating and cooling systems is therefore essential to achieve our decarbonisation targets. This should be accompanied by complementary national policies like incentives for buying certain equipment or renovating buildings with, for instance, better insulation. This also reduces fuel consumption and, subsequently, reduces harmful pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions.
Looking to the future, what opportunities do you see for Ecodesign policy to further strengthen planning certainty and long-term orientation for industry and market actors in the field of local space heating?
EU Ecodesign legislation always provides a sufficiently long transitional period, giving industry the necessary time to adapt to the new requirements. In addition, new possible ecodesign rules are always discussed intensively with stakeholders, offering the industry a good insight into those rules long before they start to apply. If information is transmitted from EU-level industry organisations to the national level in an efficient and timely way, everyone in the supply chain, whether manufacturers or dealers, can plan and implement the necessary measures and adapt to updated ecodesign legislation long before it is adopted. To instil more certainty in the planning process, it is also important to reduce elements that are deemed redundant or overlapping with existing legislation.
In this respect, the Commission is also looking to administrative simplification by aligning ecodesign rules and the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) on certification, for instance by recognising a single test procedure for both legal frameworks or the supply of the same information on product performance.
Finally, what message would you like to share with stakeholders regarding the Commission’s commitment to neutrality, objectivity, and constructive cooperation as Ecodesign policy for local space heaters continues to evolve?
The message would be one of reassurance to all stakeholders, and especially to manufacturers of biomass-fuelled appliances, that biomass is, and will continue to be, an alternative energy source in the long term, as the Commission’s energy demand projections show. In this respect, we are committed to finding a pragmatic approach based on feasible measures that align with industry’s interest and support biomass as a competitive alternative vis-à-vis other energy sources, while addressing environmental aspects that are also very important from a societal perspective. Through constructive cooperation and mutual understanding, it will be possible to adopt realistic, and effective, rules that increase the confidence of society in using this technology.
