The AESAH (Alliance for Sustainable and Accessible Energy in the Home) has shed some light on the European regulation that will govern the future of domestic boilers within the community bloc.
In a note sent to the media, the AESAH warns that the European Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), approved in 2024 and pending transposition in the Member States before 2026, does not establish a general prohibition of boilers.
What it seeks is to reduce the polluting emissions of the European real estate stock.
What does the new European directive really regulate?
European regulations pursue a specific objective: decarbonize homes. This means that Brussels wants to reduce energy consumption from fossil fuels in homes and public buildings, favoring more efficient systems and renewable energies.
The key is that the directive does not point to a specific technology as prohibited, but rather acts on the type of energy used.
So will boilers disappear?
Not necessarily. European regulation distinguishes between a boiler powered by fossil fuels and one that runs on renewable gases. According to the official guide published by the European Commission in 2024, a boiler may continue to be used beyond 2040 if it operates with renewable fuels such as biomethane, biopropane, and renewable hydrogen
In other words, the problem would not be the equipment, but the fuel.
What changes from now on?
The directive introduces several progressive milestones. From January 2025, public aid for installing boilers that run exclusively on fossil fuels will cease to be granted. As of 2028, new public buildings must be zero-emission.
Likewise, from 2030, the requirement will extend to the rest of new buildings. Although it is true that each country will decide its schedule for adapting the existing real estate stock.
This means that there will not be a single date throughout Europe for removing heating systems.
What does the Spanish Government say?
The Ministry for Ecological Transition has publicly clarified that the Spanish transposition will not involve prohibiting boilers. The department insists that European legislation opts for technological neutrality: the State sets climate objectives, but does not oblige the installation of a specific system.
The official position is that it will be the market and energy evolution that determine which solutions are most efficient.
Why is there so much confusion?
Part of the confusion arises from the simplification of the regulations by equating the phase-out of fossil fuels with the automatic disappearance of certain technologies.
The Alliance for Sustainable and Accessible Energy in the Home (AESAH) considers this interpretation to be incorrect.
According to the organization, the discussion should focus on how to reduce emissions without excluding viable options for millions of homes.
Can all homes switch to a heat pump?
Not always.
One of the arguments put forward by energy sector associations is that many Spanish homes have technical limitations for installing certain electrical systems.
AESAH assures that more than 70% of the Spanish residential stock would have difficulties incorporating heat pumps without major renovations. Furthermore, the cost of adaptation can become an economic barrier for numerous households.
What will happen in the coming years?
Spain will have to adapt European regulations before 2026. During that process, it will be defined how the energy efficiency objectives will be applied and what role the different heating systems will play.
The debate does not revolve so much around an immediate ban, but rather around a gradual energy transition.
The underlying issue will be how to reduce emissions without increasing economic inequalities or leaving out millions of households that depend on conventional technologies.