Half of Europe’s energy consumption is used for heating or cooling. Currently, 80 million heating and cooling systems are inefficient. REPLACE, the new EU-project, is helping to change this situation with service-oriented boiler-replacement campaigns in 9 countries across Europe. A first glimpse into this exciting new project is now possible on REPLACE’s freshly launched website.
If old heating-boilers cause confusion and frustration to one or the other owner, the new website can be a good place to go for easy-to-understand information. The website provides practical information on the shift towards sustainable heating and cooling systems. The project’s, as well as the website’s, coverage is comprehensive and targets 10 regions from Western, Central to South-Eastern Europe and provides information in 9 languages: Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, English, German, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovenian, and Spanish.
The website has been especially designed to target all stakeholders involved in the sector for heating and cooling systems: consumers and consumer organisations, public authorities, intermediaries like chimney sweepers or installers, as well as investors and building owners. More information on the ways these stakeholder groups can profit from the REPLACE project can be found on the website. Over the course of the project duration, the website will make a number of useful materials available, for example:
- training material for intermediaries who intend to implement sustainable systems or technical handbooks with planning guidance and financing options,
- easy-to-understand guidelines for end consumers explaining technical equipment and economic aspects,
- or an online calculator that guides all target groups through the replacement of heating ovens and boilers and helps to assess energy savings, monetary savings as well as benefits such as comfort or greenhouse gases avoided.
Visitors of the website can check if the project is being implemented in their region as well, and can get in touch with a regional contact person for more detailed information. The website will also post upcoming events, so that interested individuals can get a first-hand impression of sustainable heating and cooling systems. The website is part of the research and innovation project REPLACE – and like the project itself, it has just kicked off
and is now in progress. The project has one main goal, namely it aims at motivating and supporting people in nine different countries to replace their old systems with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Simple renovation measures that reduce overall energy consumption are also part of the programme. After five years of campaign implementation, 144,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas shall be saved each year. The Austrian Energy Agency manages the programme, which is financed by the EU within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme. A total of 12 project partners in nine countries will join forces and make heating and cooling in Europe cleaner and more efficient. The countries where REPLACE is in action are Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Website REPLACE
