New EU boiler standards mean condensing units only

New energy standards for home boilers have come into force which will see only energy efficient condensing gas boilers and water heaters allowed for sale in the EU. The ‘Ecodesign’ standards for boilers are expected to take the equivalent of 47 power stations’ worth of demand offline by 2020, according to data from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) – and reported by Euractiv.

The EEB says that Europe’s heating equipment is responsible for 25% of the continent’s carbon emissions. The new standards mean that almost everyone in the EU that replaces their boiler from now will do so with a condensing model, which are 50% more efficient than a lot of standard boilers.

While being more expensive than current boilers, condensing boilers will save costs on energy bills. An EEB factsheet indicates that the boiler standards will reduce home energy bills by €480 by 2020, and will save around 45mn tonnes of oil equivalent per year – the annual energy consumption of the Czech Republic.

The boiler standards are forecast to make up a significant proportion of the EU’s 20% efficiency target by 2020 – around 50%. It is hoped that local governments and authorities will help to provide financing for new boilers for those that need it.