Air pollution is responsible for 240,000 premature deaths annually across the EU, according to the European Environment Agency, making exposure to fine particulate matter a pressing public health emergency. While cities are taking action to improve air quality, their efforts need to be supported by national and EU-level pollution regulations that govern major sources of emissions. Heating, particularly through solid fuels, is one of the primary sources of certain pollutant emissions in Europe. To meet the EU’s 2030 air quality limits as defined in directive 2024/2881 and the vision for a pollution free environment by 2050, an effective revision of the Ecodesign requirements on solid fuel local space heaters and solid fuel boilers must be put forward by the European institutions.
Therefore, there is a need to:
- Evaluate and acknowledge the key role, implementation capacity and ambition levels of local authorities in regulating local space heaters and solid fuel boilers, and their discrepancy with current Ecodesign requirements.
- Address the inconsistency in the Ecodesign requirements in the measurement of secondary particles, specifically by defining one single and comprehensive method for the measurement of particulate matter.
- Ensure the measurement of ultrafine particles (UFPs), an important pollutant of emerging concern.
- Encourage automated air flow control to ensure consistent, low emissions and reducing sources for user error.
- Develop reporting on wood oven usage which is a major source of uncertainty in emission inventories and hinders regulation of local emissions.
The need for local action
The Ecodesign requirements for solid fuel heaters have two aims: to reduce health-damaging emissions from such appliances, and to create a level playing field for industry competition across the EU. This ensures that companies can sell their products throughout the EU without the threat of local usage restrictions. In turn, both the environment and producers/customers benefit, as it guarantees that products available on the market today remain viable for use in the coming years.
However, discussions with Eurocities members have consistently revealed that cities have implemented local restrictions, with some even attempting to ban the use of solid fuel heaters entirely within their jurisdictions. These findings are further supported by the findings of the Eurocities survey, which show that several cities have adopted measures such as bans, information campaigns, and initiatives to replace solid fuel heaters with alternative heating methods.
This discrepancy between the objectives of the Ecodesign regulations and the introduction of additional local regulations highlights the ongoing issue of excessive emissions from solid fuel heaters. Many local policies do not focus on replacing older, more polluting models with newer, cleaner alternatives. Instead, they primarily aim to transition to alternative energy sources, most notably electricity. However, it is important to recognise and understand the role of solid fuel heaters as a backup heating-source and a temporary means of mitigating excessive impact on the power grid for parts of Europe, despite their climate and environmental impacts. An effective energy transition for everyone will require time and the development of clean, climate-positive, and reliable energy resources. Regulating solid fuel heaters more strictly as a readily available energy source will serve as an efficient temporary alternative.
Nearly all cities identify fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as their primary concern when it comes to emissions from solid fuel heaters. As a result, we will focus on this issue in greater detail in the following sections.
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