The European Union is preparing a real revolution that will hit millions of Poles' portfolios directly. The fresh ambitious climate targets are intended to bring about a extremist simplification in greenhouse gas emissions, but their cost will be borne mainly by home and housing owners. The introduction of a fresh emissions trading system, known as ETS-2, means in practice the end of inexpensive coal and gas heating. For many families, this could mean a financial disaster and the request to make hard investment decisions, which will consequence in a drastic increase in bills.
The plan assumes that by 2040 CO2 emissions are to fall by 90% compared to 1990. To accomplish this, Brussels is reaching for a tool that will cover 2 key sectors of everyday life: transport and construction. It is precisely the heating of buildings that will become 1 of the main sources of fresh charges. If you have a home with a gas or coal furnace, you must prepare for changes that will completely change your finances and the value of your property.
New heating tax. What is ETS-2 and who will it touch?
The ETS-2 strategy extends the existing EU ETS to fresh sectors. To date, it has mainly included dense manufacture and energy. Now his rules will be transferred to households. In practice, this means that fossil fuel suppliers specified as gas and coal will gotta buy CO2 emanation allowances, and then they will shift these costs straight to the final customers – that is, you.
It's nothing but a fresh hidden heating tax. Although formally the charge will be borne by companies selling fuels, it will in fact be reflected in each gas bill or tonne of coal. The aim is to discourage Europeans from utilizing emanation sources of heat and to force them to control to ecological alternatives specified as photovoltaic-powered heat pumps.
The changes will primarily affect the owners of older, unwarmed buildings, which inactive trust on conventional boilers. It is they who will feel the most increases. The fresh regulations are an emergency signal for anyone who plans to build or buy a home – the choice of heating strategy becomes a key decision that will weigh on future costs of maintaining the property.
Giant costs for Polish families. How much do we pay for the old stove?
The financial projections for the introduction of ETS-2 are alarming. According to preliminary analyses, heating costs for households that do not decide to upgrade may increase in an avalanche. These are not insignificant price adjustments, but increases that can ruin home budgets.
Analysts estimation that the yearly cost of heating a single-family home with coal could increase by up to PLN respective 1000 in the 2040 perspective, reaching the level of nearly 17 000 PLN. In the case of gas heating, the increase may be somewhat smaller but inactive severe. yearly bills for heating gas alone may increase by about PLN 5 000. However, if the household besides uses gas to cook and heat water, the full yearly increase in costs can scope even PLN 10,000.
These numbers show the scale of the problem. For many Polish families, especially those with lower incomes, specified increases will be unbearable. This calls into question energy safety and financial stableness of millions of citizens who will be faced with choice: costly modernisation or drastically rising bills.
The exchange of ovens is not all. Hidden costs of the energy revolution
The seemingly simple solution is: replace the old furnace with a modern heat pump. Unfortunately, in practice, energy transformation is much more complicated and costly. Alone heat pump is an expense of PLN 40,000 or more, depending on the technology and size of the building. However, this is only the beginning of the list of expenses.
In order for the heat pump to operate efficiently and economically, the building must be adequately insulated. This means the request for thermomodernisation – wall insulation, window replacement or roof warming. That's another tens of thousands of gold. Moreover, in order to be completely independent of rising electricity prices, it is essential to install photovoltaic panels, which besides generates crucial costs.
There is besides an infrastructure problem. Energy grids in many settlements, especially those older ones, are not prepared for the fast increase in electricity request following mass installation of heat pumps and electrical car chargers. This can lead to overloads and power outages, which further complicates the full transformation.
Real property marketplace upside down. What about the home value?
New EU regulations will irreparably change the real property marketplace in Poland. It can already be seen that the energy certificate of the building becomes 1 of the key papers for the transaction. Soon, it will be joined by a kind of heating strategy that will have a direct impact on the house's valuation.
Real property with gas and coal furnaces will systematically lose value. The possible buyer, aware of the future advanced CO2 emissions charges, will anticipate a much lower price, taking into account the cost of the essential modernisation. In utmost cases, selling specified a home may prove very difficult.
On the another hand, fresh buildings, built in advanced energy standards and equipped with heat pumps and photovoltaics, will benefit from values. Investors and developers already focus on climate-neutral solutions, knowing that they will become a standard and a major sales asset. For those planning to buy a house, it becomes clear that a low acquisition price for an old building may prove to be a costly trap over a fewer years.
There will be support, but for everyone? Social Climate Fund
The European Commission is aware that energy transformation will be a large burden, especially for poorer households. In consequence to these concerns, the creation of a peculiar Social Climate Fund. Its aim is to supply financial support to citizens in the process of exchanging heat sources and thermomodernisation of buildings.
Although the announcements are promising, there are no specifics for this moment. It is not known what the precise award criteria will be, how advanced they will be or how smoothly the full process will be. There is simply a hazard that the measures will be insufficient and bureaucratic procedures complicated and long-term. For many Poles, waiting for uncertain support may not be the solution, especially in the face of rapidly approaching increases.
One thing is certain: the energy revolution becomes a fact. home owners with fossil fuel furnaces must analyse their situation and plan their actions as shortly as possible. Passivity in this substance may prove to be the most costly of possible strategies.
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The European Union is introducing a fresh tax. The owners of gas furnaces will pay a fortune
