Fahrenheit 2040: heating and cooling in the EU

The transition to a decarbonised heatingand cooling sector is crucial for the European Union (EU): to meet the Green Deal's target of net-zero greenhouse gasemissions by 2050, and to tackle a range ofpressing socio-economic, security and environmental issues. The buildings sector is central to the heating and cooling transition, given its substantial impact onthe EU's total carbon emissions. In the residential sector, space heating makes upfor about two-thirds of final energy consumption, water heating for another 15 percent and cooling for around 0.5 percent. More than half of the energy usefor residential space and water heating isbased on fossil fuels. In the commercial and public services sector, space andwater heating make up for about half of thetotal energy consumption.