Reports

The days of gas as a home-heating solution will eventually come to an end, as consumers move to cleaner options like heat pumps.

This will mean the gas network will become increasingly unused with the remaining consumers connected to it having to pay for it. Without public support, this will mean significant costs for consumers, according to a new report from BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation.

The rising costs of maintaining the gas network will also disproportionately impact those least able to switch to cleaner heating options (for example, vulnerable consumers or tenants).

The European Consumer Organisation – BEUC, takes the view that Meta’s latest changes on its ‘consent-for-ads’ model would still not meet the requirements laid down in EU law, especially EU Regulation 2022/1925 (the Digital Markets Act - DMA), EU Regulation 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR) and EU Directive 2005/29 (the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive – the UCPD). Several crucial issues remain unsolved, including the ability of users to provide free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent given Meta’s extensive data collection, and the continued use of non-neutral language and interface design techniques which undermine the free choice of users.

The CLEAR-HP project helped to accompany consumers across Europe throughout the whole purchasing journey of switching from a fossil fuel boiler to a heat pump. The project aimed to raise consumer awareness, build confidence in heat pump technology, and ultimately enhance both the energy efficiency and comfort of people’s homes.

At its core, national consumer organisations in seven European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Portugal) organised collective purchase campaigns for independently-tested heat pumps. Participants benefited from advantageous purchase and installation packages that included consumer support and workshops throughout the process.

This BEUC report takes stock of Europe’s energy markets and sets out key areas for improvement from a consumer perspective, from heat pumps to energy bills and everything in between. This paper details BEUC’s energy policy priorities for consumers into the 2030s, mapping out what is currently working well and what still needs to be improved. BEUC's recommendations relate to important EU initiatives such as the Affordable Energy Action Plan, Affordable Housing Plan and the broader 2030 Consumer Agenda.