{"id":17902,"date":"2025-11-20T12:28:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T11:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/the-future-of-gas-boilers-in-europe\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:30:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T11:30:26","slug":"the-future-of-gas-boilers-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/the-future-of-gas-boilers-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of gas boilers in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In recent months, headlines such as &#8220;<strong>Europe to ban gas boilers<\/strong>&#8221; or &#8220;<strong>end of gas in new buildings<\/strong>&#8221; have been circulating. While these sound alarmist, they reflect something that is indeed happening: a <strong>profound regulatory shift<\/strong> in the way <strong>we heat buildings in Europe<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n<p>But &#8211; and here comes the part that almost nobody explains &#8211; <strong>industry<\/strong> is not in the same situation as urban buildings. Does this mean that <g id=\"gid_1\">factories<\/g> can continue to install <g id=\"gid_2\">gas boilers<\/g> without a problem? Yes&#8230; but <strong>with important caveats<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s take it one step at a time.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is happening with gas boilers in urban buildings?<\/h2>\n\n<p>The new <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/energy-efficiency\/energy-performance-buildings\/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive)<\/a> marks a turning point:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>From <strong>2025<\/strong> onwards, no subsidies may be given to fossil boilers in buildings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From <strong>2030<\/strong>, <strong>all new buildings must be &#8220;zero on-site emissions of fossil fuels&#8221;.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Many European countries have already <strong>brought forward this transition <\/strong>with specific bans: France, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland&#8230;<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How this affects the building market<\/h3>\n\n<p>In practice, <strong>installing a gas boiler in a new building will become increasingly difficult, expensive or, depending on the country, illegal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>For developers, architects, HVAC installers and manufacturers, the message is clear: <strong>gas in new construction is in accelerated retreat.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And what about the industrial sector?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Here comes the part that almost no one tells.<\/p>\n\n<p>When we talk about <strong>industry<\/strong>, we are talking about thermal processes, not about heating a living room or an office block. <strong>Steam boilers<\/strong>, <strong>autoclaves<\/strong>, <strong>CIP<\/strong>, <strong>pasteurization<\/strong>, <strong>drying<\/strong>,<strong>industrial cleaning<\/strong>&#8230; all of these fall into a different category:<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No, industrial gas boilers are not prohibited.<\/h3>\n\n<p>As of today, there is no European standard that says: &#8220;It is <strong>forbidden to<\/strong> install gas boilers for industrial processes&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n<p>Factories can install new gas-fired boilers for process steam.<\/p>\n\n<p>But&#8230; here comes the big <em>but.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why an industrial gas boiler can become an economic risk<\/h2>\n\n<p>Although they are not prohibited, they <strong>are increasingly penalized economically<\/strong>, and this is extremely important for any plant investment decision.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Loss of subsidies<\/h3>\n\n<p>Those who invest in an industrial gas boiler<strong>are not entitled to public aid in most national and European programs<\/strong>, and are also excluded from <a href=\"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/heat-auction-2025-how-giconmes-hgv-electric-boilers-can-drive-the-decarbonization-of-industrial-heat\/\">specific decarbonization funds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, <strong>electrification<\/strong> (e-boilers, heaters, industrial heat pumps), <strong>hydrogen<\/strong>, <strong>heat recovery<\/strong>&#8230; <strong>are receiving increasingly generous support.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>The initial CAPEX may appear cheaper, but the project lags far behind in financial return compared to eligible electrified alternatives.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Total exposure to CO\u2082 cost.<\/h3>\n\n<p>Depending on the size of the installation, the gas boiler may fall under the <strong>EU ETS<\/strong><strong>(Emissions Trading<\/strong> Scheme) or equivalent national schemes.<\/p>\n\n<p>This means two things:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>You pay CO\u2082 today<\/strong> (between \u20ac65-90 \u20ac\/t CO\u2082 in recent years).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You will pay more CO\u2082 tomorrow<\/strong>, because the projected price curve is clearly bullish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>An industrial gas boiler can generate <strong>unexpected annual cost overruns<\/strong> that are difficult to budget for and erode the plant&#8217;s competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n<p>With an <a href=\"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/steam-generators\/\">electric boiler<\/a>, on the other hand, CO\u2082 is taken out of the equation, especially if the plant uses renewable electricity or PPA.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gas volatility + CO\u2082 volatility = multiplied risk.<\/h3>\n\n<p>In industry, a cost overrun of 10-20 \u20ac\/MWh can mean: loss of margin, inability to pass on prices, loss of competitiveness against electrified competitors, or even the risk of stranded asset if regulations are tightened.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Thermal electrification<\/strong>, on the other hand:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>reduces exposure to gas<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>reduces exposure to ETS<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and can <strong>stabilize costs through PPAs or self-consumption<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Future environmental restrictions and permits<\/h3>\n\n<p>Although there is no ban today, the trend is clear:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The cost of the environmental license increases with fossil boilers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emissions scrutiny is higher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equipment replacements will tend to require low-carbon technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This is not a &#8220;ban&#8221;, but a <strong>regulatory fence that, little by little, makes gas less competitive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Can you install industrial gas boilers? Yes, but: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u274c You will not get grants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u274c You are fully exposed to the cost of CO\u2082.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u274c You risk stranded assets in 5-8 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2714\ufe0f Cost-effective electrical alternatives are available, especially for steam processes &lt; 200 \u00b0C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparative table: gas restrictions in Europe by country<\/h2>\n\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;\">Country<\/th>\n<th style=\"color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;\">Urban buildings (new construction)<\/th>\n<th style=\"color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;\">Industry (thermal processes)<\/th>\n<th style=\"color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;\">Comment<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Austria<\/td>\n<td>Ban on fossil boilers in new buildings.<\/td>\n<td>No specific ban.<\/td>\n<td>Building very advanced; industry pressured by ETS.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>France<\/td>\n<td>Gas banned in new construction (RE2020).<\/td>\n<td>No ban, but subsidies prioritize electrification.<\/td>\n<td>Leader in building transition.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The Netherlands<\/td>\n<td>Gas off new construction (~2026).<\/td>\n<td>No ban, but strong pressure towards electric steam.<\/td>\n<td>Highly electrified country.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Germany<\/td>\n<td>GEG: \u226565% renewables \u2192 pure gas not viable.<\/td>\n<td>No general ban; affected by ETS.<\/td>\n<td>Strong incentives for industrial heat pumps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Denmark<\/td>\n<td>Fossil out of new construction for years.<\/td>\n<td>No direct ban.<\/td>\n<td>Almost &#8220;gas-free&#8221; country in buildings.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ireland<\/td>\n<td>Gas banned in new construction from ~2025.<\/td>\n<td>No direct ban.<\/td>\n<td>Regulations closely aligned with EPBD.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Spain<\/td>\n<td>Still no explicit national ban, but EPBD pushes towards it.<\/td>\n<td>No ban, but no support for fossil fuels; ETS applies.<\/td>\n<td>Gradual evolution, depends on Autonomous Regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gas is running out in buildings&#8230; and in industry &#8220;it is not prohibited&#8221;, but it is becoming a worse business.<\/h2>\n\n<p>The public narrative sometimes mixes everything in the same bag, but they are two different worlds: in buildings, gas is finished. In <strong>industry<\/strong>, <strong>gas<\/strong> is still allowed, but: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>without assistance,<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>with full exposure to CO\u2082,<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>with volatility<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and <strong>with future risk of obsolescence<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>For many industrial plants, <strong>electrifying steam is no longer just an environmental option, but a smart financial decision<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/contact-us\/\">Contact us and we will help you design the optimal solution for your facility<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent months, headlines such as &#8220;Europe to ban gas boilers&#8221; or &#8220;end of gas in new buildings&#8221; have been circulating. While these sound alarmist, they reflect something that is indeed happening: a profound regulatory shift in the way we heat buildings in Europe. But &#8211; and here comes the part that almost nobody explains [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":17897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17902"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17903,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17902\/revisions\/17903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/giconmes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}