EU challenges of reducing fossil fuel use in buildings The role of building insulation and low-carbon heating systems in 2030 and 2050 Nijs, W. Tarvydas, D. Toleikyte A. EUR 30922 EN This publication is a Science for Policy report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. For information on the methodology and quality underlying the data used in this publication for which the source is neither Eurostat nor other Commission services, users should contact the referenced source. The designations employed and the presentation of material on the maps do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Contact information Name: Jose Moya Address: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, P.O. Box 2, NL-1755ZG Petten, The Netherlands Email: jose.moya@ec.europa.eu Tel.: +31 22456 5244 EU Science Hub https://ec.europa.eu/jrc JRC127122 EUR 30922 EN PDF ISBN 978-92-76-45223-2 ISSN 1831-9424 doi:10.2760/85088 Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2021 © European Union, 2021 The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). Except otherwise noted, the reuse of this document is authorised under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This means that reuse is allowed provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not owned by the EU, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. All content © European Union, 2021, cover page image composition ©JPC-PROD Adobe Stock, 2021 How to cite this report: Nijs W., Tarvydas D., Toleikyte A.., EU challenges of reducing fossil fuel use in buildings – The role of building insulation and low-carbon heating systems in 2030 and 2050, EUR 30922 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-45223-2, doi:10.2760/85088, JRC127122. Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Executive summary ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13 2 Historical fossil fuel use in buildings ..................................................................................................................................................................................14 2.1 Historical total energy use...............................................................................................................................................................................................14 2.2 Fossil fuel use ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................16 2.3 Residential buildings energy uses ............................................................................................................................................................................18 3 Building and heating system stock .....................................................................................................................................