From gas to clean heating

The European energy crisis has accelerated the need to phase out oil and gas from heating systems. A broad majority in the Danish Parliament has agreed that the use of natural gas for heating must stop in 2030. On this background, in December 2022, the Danish Council on Climate Change (DCCC) published an analysis of the factors that should be considered in an accelerated transition from natural gas to individual heat pumps or district heating. While an accelerated phasing out of natural gas in the heating sector will have an immediate effect on greenhouse gas emissions and energy security in Europe, it is important that the decisions and plans we make today also make sense in the long run. In Denmark, suburban areas that predominantly comprise detached housing account for the biggest share of natural gas use for heating, while the Danish urban centres are typically supplied by district heating. Focussing on a model suburban area, the DCCC analysis investigates which factors an accelerated phasing out of natural gas should consider and how to ensure an optimal phasing out of gas both in the short and long run.