IEA Roadmap on energy-efficient heating and cooling

The International Energy Agency published earlier today the technology roadmap “Energy-efficient Buildings: Heating and Cooling Equipment”.

Key findings:

• Technologies such as solar thermal, heat pumps, thermal energy storage, and combined heat and power for buildings have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 2 gigatonnes (Gt) by 2050 – around a quarter of today’s emissions from buildings – and save 710 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe) of energy by 2050.
• An additional USD 3.5 billion a year needs to be made available for research, development and demonstration (RD&D) by 2030. R&D efforts should focus on reducing costs and improving the efficiency and integration of components. R&D into hybrid systems could lead to highly efficient, low-carbon technologies (e.g. integrated solar thermal/heat pump systems, CHP). Beyond 2030, R&D needs to focus on developing technologies that go beyond the best that are currently available.
• Governments need to create the economic conditions that will enable heating and cooling technologies to meet environmental criteria at least cost. Policies need to be "broad" to address specific barriers (e.g. lack of installer awareness) and "deep" to reach all of the stakeholders in the fragmented building sector.

Key actions for the next 10 years:

• Inclusive policy working groups to develop policy and ensure energy-efficient and low-carbon technology priorities are aligned with environmental policies and do not face barriers because of conflict with other policy goals (e.g. fire, equipment safety and local planning).
• Development of national roadmaps
• Comprehensive and timely data collection on end-use energy consumption, building characteristics, technology deployment, market breakdown, costs and efficiency
• Development of standardized information packages
• Improvement of standard education for key professionals
• Need for minimum energy performance standards, labelling, utility programmes and financial incentives
• Need for expansion and/or implementation of harmonized mandatory quality assurance and certification schemes for equipment and installers
• Need for international level collaborative work and information sharing between industry and governments