The Cool Heating Coalition was proud to contribute to the 2025 edition of the 100% Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC) event, hosted by the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC-ETIP). The annual gathering brought together voices from across Europe to chart a course for innovation, policy alignment, and accelerated deployment of renewable heating and cooling (H&C) solutions.
In her keynote, Beatrice Coda from the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation unveiled the pre-publication of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, which earmarks €86 million for up to 14 projects across the RHC spectrum. She also flagged a major call in the 2026–27 Work Programme to bridge the gap between research and deployment, and called on RHC-ETIP to support preparations for the EU Heating and Cooling Strategy due in early 2026.
Representing civil society, Delia Villagrasa, Director of the Cool Heating Coalition, stressed the need for bold policy action to decarbonise H&C across the EU. “Heating and cooling account for nearly half of Europe’s energy consumption and are central to tackling affordability, energy security, and pollution,” she stated. Villagrasa called for the installation of 60 million heat pumps by 2030, in line with REPowerEU targets, citing benefits such as a 2.5 per cent GDP boost, 3 million new jobs, a boost to energy independence and 40% fewer NOx emissions from household heating.
As shown by research commissioned by the Cool Heating Coalition in 2024, the gap between current policies and 100% renewable H&C remains significant despite some progress. Current targets under RED Article 23 require annual renewable share increases of 1.1 percentage points between 2026 and 2030—but reaching full decarbonisation by 2040 would require a leap to 6.8 percentage points annually.
Other speakers highlighted tools and innovations enabling the shift. Giulia Conforto (e-Think) introduced CoolLIFE‘s decision-support platform, which integrates behavioural, economic, and policy data for strategic H&C planning. Teodora-Emilia Motoasca (Daikin Europe) showcased modular heat pump systems aligned with the New European Bauhaus. Dimitris Papageorgiou (TVP Solar) made the case for scaling solar thermal use for industrial processes, citing the success of multi-tech integration projects like Solindarity.
You can download the Cool Heating Coalition’s presentation here.
