France wants to replace gas, fuel heaters with heat pumps

French Environment Minister Christophe Bechu announced on Tuesday that France aims to replace residential fuel and gas heaters with heat pumps and establish a domestic industry to manufacture these devices as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is in line with President Emmanuel Macron's multi-year environmental plan, which also includes phasing out coal-fired power plants, promoting electric cars over thermal engines, and advocating heat pumps for heating homes.

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Bechu emphasized the importance of transitioning away from fossil fuels to combat climate change, stating, "Fighting climate change means first and foremost exiting from the use of fossil fuels, therefore we should have no more fuel heaters and much fewer gas heaters."

France's goal is to achieve a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. When asked about how France plans to replace an estimated 30 million heating systems nationwide by 2030, Bechu explained that if the government could replace nearly all of the approximately 3 million fuel heaters and about half of the 11 million gas heaters in France by 2030, it would be on track to achieve the 55% emissions reduction target.

Bechu ruled out banning fossil fuel heaters and instead stated that the government would incentivize the transition rather than enforce it. He mentioned that subsidies for heat pumps, which are more expensive than gas heaters, would be increased so that low-income families would find the net cost of purchasing a heat pump similar to that of a gas heater.

Heat pumps use electricity to extract heat from the environment, and since France relies heavily on nuclear energy for electricity generation, heat pumps would result in minimal emissions during operation.

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