Europe
As one of the world’s largest economies, Europe is a major producer and market for energy-related appliances and equipment. Ambitious efficiency policy across the EU-27 and UK offers significant cost and climate benefits for the region and globally.
CLASP works alongside policymakers and partners to promote the most efficient appliances and move markets away from the most inefficient technologies.
A Trusted Partner
CLASP advises and collaborates with the European Commission and member states, UK government, NGOs, and industry partners to develop and promote appliance policies. Working closely with our partners, CLASP identifies priority work areas and provides robust technical analysis to support best-in-class policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one of the highest-emitting appliance markets.
Our ongoing work includes support for policymaking on computers and other electronic devices, lighting, and the phase-out of gas cooking appliances.
CLASP’s Impacts Across Europe
Catalyzing Sustainable Heating & Cooling Systems
CLASP is investigating the feasibility of mass deployment of low-GWP (global warming potential) heat pumps in Europe.
The use of fluorinated gases (F-gases) in heat pumps harms human health and the environment. A swift transition to low-GWP heat pumps with natural refrigerants will mitigate risks and facilitate sustainable heating and cooling solutions.
Recent revisions of the F-gas regulation highlight the need to steer away from the use of F-gases in heating and cooling systems. With the REPowerEU initiative aiming to install 60 million heat pumps in the EU by 2030 and the UK government targeting 600,000 installations per year by 2028, a shift to natural refrigerants is essential.
In October 2023, CLASP launched the Evidence Gathering and Impacts Assessment for the Deployment of Low-GWP Heat Pumps in Europe project. Partnering with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), we aim to facilitate the mass deployment of low-GWP heat pumps, aligned with regulatory timelines and deployment targets. Through evidence gathering and impacts modeling, this effort seeks to accelerate the adoption of natural refrigerants, fostering more sustainable and resilient heating and cooling systems in Europe.
Europe’s Sweeping EcoDesign Process
CLASP provided crucial research and policy expertise to the European Commission in support of a significant energy efficiency regulation package.
The policy package will cut electricity consumption by 167 TWh per year by 2030 - 5% of the region’s total residential electricity use.
In 2019, the European Commission adopted new regulations that will reduce European electricity consumption by 167 TWh per year by 2030 – 5% of the region’s total residential electricity use – and avoid 46 Mt CO₂ per year by 2030, while saving European households an average €150 (US$165) per year.
CLASP supported policymakers by providing market data and international best practices, as well as testing and rigorous analysis on the costs and benefits associated with various levels of policy ambition for lighting, televisions, computer monitors, commercial signage, residential and commercial refrigerators, and transformers.
A Vital Transition to Clean Lighting
Since 2019, CLASP has supported European policymakers to accelerate the phase out of toxic mercury-ladened fluorescent lamps.
The EU will save €18.2 billion and avoid 1.8 metric tonnes of mercury from the fluorescent lamps between 2023-2035.
The EU regulates mercury in light bulbs through the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive by allowing mercury use in lighting via an exemption list. CFLs and LFLs have been tolerated so far because of the once limited accessibility of mercury-free alternatives. However, the widespread availability of cost-effective LED alternatives meant these exemptions are no longer necessary.
Since 2019, CLASP has conducted market and technology research to demonstrate the feasibility of phasing out fluorescent lighting in Europe and provided evidence on the human health and environmental costs to delay action on fluorescent phase-outs in the EU. Our work supported an update to RoHS to phase out all general-purpose compact and linear fluorescent lamps (CFL and LFL) in 2023.
Between 2023 and 2035, the policy will cut electricity use by 190 TWh and avoid 55 million metric tonnes of CO₂ – contributing to critical regional mitigation targets.
Protecting Consumers from Toxic Gas Cooking
Cooking with gas is threatening the air quality and safety of households across the EU and UK – it is time for Europe to transition to fossil-free cooking.
Gas hobs and ovens release toxic pollutants – such as NO2 – that harm human health.
Every night millions of people across Europe sit down for dinner, not knowing the significant health and environmental dangers posed by their gas cooking appliances. Research shows that children and low-income communities face an elevated risk of negative health impacts from gas cooking, such as increased likelihood to develop respiratory issues like asthma and other long-term health consequences.
With the advent of cleaner, more efficient technologies like induction and electric cookers, now is the time to make cooking cleaner and safer for homes in the EU and UK.
With support from the European Climate Foundation (ECF), CLASP launched a new project to accelerate the transition to clean cooking in the region. Our team is collaborating with partners and policymakers to develop an EU and UK-specific evidence base on the health effects of gas cooking appliances, initiate discussions on policy solutions, and raise public awareness on the health and climate impacts of cooking with gas.
Building a Flourishing Circular Economy
CLASP takes an active role in supporting Europe to transition to a more sustainable economy through policy based in circularity principles.
Prolonging the service life of widely owned and highly used consumer electronics could avoid 57,991 kg of CO.
In early 2022, the EU updated their Ecodesign framework to include more product categories and increase efficiency requirements for currently regulated energy-related products. CLASP has been participating in the consultations for these revisions, which go beyond energy efficiency and may cover product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability; presence of substances that inhibit circularity; energy and resource efficiency; recycled content; carbon and environmental footprint.