REPLACE

Description

Programme: H2020, Call: LC-SC3-EC-1-2018-2019-2020
Funding amount: €2 million, of which €416,000 for Bavaria
Funding period: 11/2019-10/2022
Coordinator: Herbert Tretter, Austrian Energy Agency
Project number: 847087

REPLACE - Sustainable heating and cooling systems for consumers in Europe

Whether for heating, hot water, or air conditioning systems -heating and cooling systems make up half of Europe's total energy needs. They mostly consume fossil fuels - 68 percent of all gas imports into the EU alone, for example. The EU is seeking to move away from fossil fuels and is calling for the fastest possible switch to modern technologies and renewable energies. Against this backdrop, the EU project REPLACE seeks to drive the transition from inefficient and old heating and cooling systems.

Two thirds of the total 120 million heating systems are energy guzzlers of energy class C or D2. In addition, there are a number of obsolete hot water boilers, refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners. This is why the heating and cooling strategy of the EU is focused on the modernisation of its heating and cooling infrastructure in order to reduce the energy needs of EU member states and thus contribute to energy security and climate protection on the European continent.
In order to promote the transition from inefficient heating and cooling systems operated by fossil fuels, the EU project REPLACE focuses on informing and educating consumers, investors (homeowners), and relevant specialist companies (installers, plumbers, chimney sweepers) in Europe. Here, working groups of local actors will carry out targeted information campaigns. All the activities suggested by REPLACE are aimed at informing and motivating consumers to replace their old and inefficient devices with better, more environmentally-friendly alternatives – with the goal of saving energy and CO2 and improving air quality, comfort, and the reliability of supply. Under the coordination of the Austrian Energy Agency, eleven additional companies and research institutes from Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, North Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, and Spain participate- in REPLACE. The inclusion of EU accession countries and potential candidate countries like North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina is aimed at the transfer of knowledge across EU borders in order to more strongly involve these countries.