Empowering Regions on Heating & Cooling: Planning, Technology, Finance

Heating and cooling make up a large share of Europe’s energy use, making the decarbonisation of this sector key to meeting climate goals. In October 2025, the transposition deadline for the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) passed, meaning that national heating and cooling frameworks should now be in place.

The EED also requires municipalities with over 45,000 inhabitants to develop local heating and cooling plans under Article 25, putting regional and local authorities in a position to translate heating and cooling frameworks into concrete and localised actions.

Regions and local and regional energy agencies will play a key role in supporting the implementation of heating and cooling plans. To support municipalities, these actors can engage in identifying available heat sources, evaluating cooling demand, determining suitable technologies, connecting with stakeholders, securing financing, and more.

In this webinar, we provided participants with information on how they can lead this process to decarbonise heating and cooling across the EU by presenting financing options, policy contexts, and regional best practices.

What Can You Find in the Recording and Slides?

In the webinar materials, you will find presentations from the following speakers:

• Seamus Hoyne from the Technological University of the Shannon, who gave an introduction and presented ManagEnergy and the EU Covenant of Mayors.
• Margot Pinault from DG ENER, who overviewed the decarbonisation potential of heating and cooling and outlined key legislation included in the EED.
• Anette Jahn from CINEA, who showcased the LIFE Programme’s Clean Energy Transition Team’s multi-angle approach to offering comprehensive support in heating and cooling.
• Dinis Rodrigues from the European Investment Bank, who presented how authorities can apply for investments to support heating and cooling plans.
• Ivan Pržulj from REGEA, who introduced the ESCALATE Training Programme to support heating and cooling decarbonisation.
• Christiane Egger from OÖ Energiesparverband, who gave a presentation on how Upper Austria used a mix of instruments and tools to lower GHG emissions from buildings by over 40%.