New Ways of Building Change the Ways We Generate Heat

The new building techniques are here to stay. Vicente Gallardo is Chairman of the Association of Manufacturers of Heat Generators and Emitters (FEGECA). He explains that buildings are going to become increasingly efficient and sustainable, with reduced heating and cooling demands. These changes are due to significant improvements in insulation and enclosures that the regulations (specifically, Spain’s Technical Building Code or CTE) require for new buildings and those that undergo comprehensive refurbishment.

This means that ventilation and heat recovery systems will become more important in building design. “Hot water and heating are usually a building’s biggest energy consumers, so the way that those demands are met will also become more important.” So, Gallardo says, “This will have repercussions for the design of installations, which will require more efficient heat generators and, in many cases, hybrid systems to satisfy the demand for comfort with the lowest energy consumption.”

This means that manufacturers will develop a much more comprehensive range of solutions, offering heat generation systems that are highly efficient, whatever energy or fuel they operate with. “This need to offer a diverse range of heat generation systems, to be able to use the most efficient one in each case, will also affect installers.”

Hydrogen Boilers

In this new scenario, the trade is wondering whether regulations to increase sustainability and promote renewable energies will characterise the sector’s future. The FEGECA Chairman stresses that promoting renewable energies helps emissions reduction. He also adds that decarbonisation has helped push the heating industry to develop more efficient solutions.

In this regard, he says that “As heat-generating equipment manufacturers, we’ve taken on the challenge of developing highly efficient products which, although they aren’t installed in homes yet, will become a reality within a few years. I’m referring, for example, to hydrogen-fired boilers. They are a very efficient alternative to natural gas with little environmental impact. There’s no hydrogen going through pipes yet, but manufacturers have already developed the equipment to make it work.

Sustainability Targets

Another critical point to consider, besides decarbonisation, is sustainability. “Our industry will be vital for achieving the European Union’s climate and environmental goals for 2030. That’s because most of a home’s energy consumption is for hot water and heating.” (43.20% of final energy consumption in the residential sector according to IDAE).

Gallardo recalls that Spain, through the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), has set itself an ambitious goal for 2050: achieve climate neutrality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing a 100% renewable electricity system by 2050.

These energy efficiency and renewable energy goals “will undoubtedly drive technological development in the coming years, forcing the installation of more efficient heating and hot water systems with lower polluting gas emissions.” As this expert points out, “There have to be incentives to encourage people to replace appliances and heating systems with new ones based on efficient technologies. These incentives will be essential for achieving these goals and the business recovery our sector so urgently needs.”