Heating oil can 'help meet EU energy needs'

Oil-powered heating ‘can offer one of the solutions’ in meeting the EU’s future energy needs.

That was the message of a half-day conference on Monday which helped launch the EU sustainable energy week in Brussels.

The event heard that heating oil currently provides about 20 per cent of household energy in the EU.

Eurofuel, the Brussels-based European heating oil association, said it welcomes Euoropean commission efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and improve heating sector energy savings.

But the group, which organised the conference, says that energy-efficient boilers, combined with using solar energy to heat oil, could prove to be a “key measure” for sustainable home heating.

Eurofuel's executive director, Michael Bennett, told the Parliament Magazine, “For climate protection, improving energy efficiency is even more important than increasing the share of renewable energy.

"The share of renewable energy can only be increased significantly if the overall energy demand is considerably cut."

He says that in Europe about 40 per cent of boilers are outdated and inefficient, and could be replaced with modern equipment which gives potential energy reductions of up to 30 per cent.

He told the conference that neither governments nor consumers should be forced to invest in renewable energy only while more cost-effective solutions exist that are able to save the same energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

The conference, which attracted a wide range of stakeholders, is one of about 40 events being staged as part of sustainable energy week.

• Previous article
• Next article