EU Renewable Heating and Cooling Share Reaches Record 26.7% in 2024

The share of renewable energy used for heating and cooling in the European Union (EU) reached a record 26.7% in 2024, marking the highest value since data collection began in 2004, when the share stood at 11.7%. This represents a modest increase of 0.5 percentage points (pp) compared with 26.2% in 2023, though it remains below the average annual growth of 0.75 pp observed over the 2004–2024 period.

The growth in renewable energy use for heating and cooling has largely been driven by biomass and heat pumps, which have contributed steadily to absolute consumption levels across the EU.

Under the EU Directive 2023/2413, adopted on 18 October 2023, member states are required to increase their annual average share of renewable energy in heating and cooling by at least 0.8 pp between 2021 and 2025, and by at least 1.1 pp between 2026 and 2030. At the EU level, the annual average increase reached 0.93 pp between 2021 and 2024, meeting the directive’s early targets.

Among EU countries in 2024, Sweden led with the highest share of renewables in heating and cooling at 67.8%, followed by Finland (62.6%) and Latvia (61.8%). The lowest shares were recorded in Ireland (7.9%), the Netherlands (11.3%), and Belgium (11.3%).

Sixteen EU countries saw an increase in their renewable heating and cooling shares compared with 2023. Malta recorded the highest gain (+6.0 pp), followed by Luxembourg (+3.7 pp) and Denmark (+1.9 pp). On the other hand, Estonia (-11.1 pp), Greece (-2.9 pp), and Bulgaria (-1.9 pp) experienced the largest declines.

The dataset highlights ongoing disparities among EU member states while demonstrating overall progress toward integrating renewable energy into heating and cooling sectors.