Motivating consumers to plan the replacement of their current heating systems – which use fossil fuels and are often in poor condition and inefficient – with more efficient alternatives. This was the main aim of HARP – Heating Appliances Retrofit Planning project that counted with the participation of NOVA IMS.
Among the 126 million boilers installed in the European Union, 60% are inefficient (operating as an energy class C or lower), but consumers are rarely aware of the inefficiency of their heating systems and the associated costs. This is all the more important given that heating and hot water accounts for 80% of EU households’ energy demand and that 84% of this energy is generated from fossil fuels.
Funded by Horizon 2020, HARP developed an online application, where consumers in five European countries – Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Germany – could obtain an indicative assessment of the performance and costs of their heating system, as well as the available efficient alternatives, benefits and support schemes in their country.
The main impact of this project, which lasted three years and ended in July 2022, was to involve and raise awareness among consumers about energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy for heating. The application developed contributed to achieving the goal that HARP set itself by motivating more than 10,000 replacements of heating appliances.