A great deal of misunderstanding and oversimplification has grown up around the future of gas boilers. From the perspective of investors, building managers, and the installation industry, one point is essential: the heating transition in Europe does not mean eliminating gas boilers, but a gradual change of gaseous fuel (which modern boilers are already prepared for) and the development of more flexible, hybrid heating systems in which gas boilers play an important role.
Key takeaways
- The European Union has no plans for a mandatory dismantling of working gas boilers.
- Until 2030, gas boilers may be installed without restrictions, even though in Poland they are no longer covered by support from the Clean Air (Czyste Powietrze) program.
- 2040 should be treated as a stage in the fuel transition, not as the end date for gas technologies.
- Modern gas boilers can remain part of heating systems thanks to the growing role of biomethane and hydrogen.
- Hybrid systems combining a gas boiler, a heat pump, and renewables are becoming increasingly important.
- Many Poles still see gas as a realistic alternative to solid fuels.
Where do the myths about a gas-boiler ban come from?
Public debate regularly features claims suggesting a total ban on installing gas boilers and using gas to heat buildings. That interpretation leads to delayed investment decisions and unnecessary uncertainty among homeowners and property managers. In reality, the energy transition in Europe concerns gaseous fuel first and foremost, not the heating appliances themselves.
– For two years the media have carried stories about an alleged European Union ban on installing gas boilers and about a ban from 2040 on using gas for heating. Meanwhile, the EPBD buildings directive does not eliminate any of the available heating technologies from the market. The European Commission instead calls on member states to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with renewable fuels such as biomethane, biopropane, or biomass, says Bartosz Kwiatkowski, Director General of the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization (POGP).
Gas boilers – no change until 2030
In the next few years nothing changes regarding the installation and replacement of gas boilers. Building owners can still — and even should — include gas boilers when planning heating systems, especially where infrastructure is available and predictable costs and the option of staged modernization matter.
– Until 2030, gas boilers may be installed without restrictions, although in Poland subsidy support for gas boilers has been withdrawn from the Czyste Powietrze program. Poland is instead aiming to phase coal out of individual heating by 2035. It will be replaced by a mix of heating solutions, from heat pumps and solar collectors to gas boilers and biomass boilers – explains Bartosz Kwiatkowski, adding that after 2030 nothing will change for existing buildings either. – They will still be able to be heated with gas, and heating installations can still be repaired in the event of a fault. No one will demand that boilers be dismantled – the expert stresses.
What will change after 2040
2040 is sometimes presented as a symbolic departure from gas heating, but in practice it is more about the further decarbonization of fuels. That is an important distinction, because it means existing infrastructure and modern condensing gas boilers adapted to a gradually changing gaseous fuel (biomethane or biopropane) can continue to be used.
– 2040 is the deadline by which the Union recommends withdrawing fossil fuels from heating. Poland can meet that deadline or, like Germany, ask for it to be extended – explains Bartosz Kwiatkowski.
In recent months a radical change has been visible in Germany’s approach to gas heating. After an intense political debate, the federal government decided to restore the option of heating buildings with gas. New legislative assumptions allow gas boilers to be installed, and the transition is to consist primarily of gradually increasing the share of renewable fuels in gas networks. This is a signal that gas — in a gradually decarbonized form — remains an important element of Europe’s energy mix in the buildings sector.
What do users think about gas?
Social preferences are also an important part of this discussion. The 7th edition of the EKObarometr survey, carried out by the SW Research agency, shows that:
- 52.7% of Poles believe that replacing coal boilers with gas boilers improves air quality and reduces smog.
- 51.5% of respondents are in favor of keeping funding for gas heating in the Czyste Powietrze program.
This shows that gas is still seen as the most realistic alternative to coal and as a transitional fuel on the way to an energy system based mostly on renewables.
– Condensing gas boilers remain one of the most widely used heat sources. They are characterized by high seasonal efficiency, relatively low investment outlay, and the ability to operate in systems that can be flexibly matched to the building’s needs and market conditions – says Żaneta Lisowska, Group Brand & Marketing Manager Termet. – In the context of the energy transition, natural gas still plays the role of a transitional fuel. At the same time, the systemic decarbonization of gaseous fuel is growing in importance through an increasing share of biomethane and hydrogen in gas networks. Modern gas boilers are already designed to run on gas blends containing admixtures of these fuels – the Termet expert stresses.
Gas boilers in hybrid and low-emission systems
Systems based on more than one heat source now play an ever greater role in heating. – Hybrid systems are growing in importance, integrating different heating technologies, for example a heat pump, a gas boiler, and renewable installations such as photovoltaics. Such arrangements allow more flexible management of heat sources and optimization of heating costs depending on outdoor temperature, the building’s heat demand, and current energy prices – adds Żaneta Lisowska.
For sound decision-making, the key today is to understand that the future of heating in Europe will not rest on a simple choice “for” or “against” gas, but on flexible systems that can be developed to match the availability and prices of fuels and regulatory change. The message for investors is clear: a modern gas boiler remains in many cases a rational choice and an important element of a well-designed heating system.
More comments from energy-industry experts can be found on Akademia Ciepła -Termet S.A. on YouTube: