Serbia signals commitment to decarbonize heating and cooling 

Energy Community Secretariat hails milestone supporting long-term planning, investment, and alignment with EU standards in the heating and cooling sector

The Energy Community Secretariat welcomes Serbia’s submission of its Comprehensive Assessment of the Potential for High-Efficiency Cogeneration and Efficient District Heating and Cooling — a key step toward aligning with EU energy efficiency standards and accelerating the country’s clean energy transition. High-efficiency cogeneration makes energy use more efficient by producing electricity and heat simultaneously with minimal losses, while efficient district heating and cooling enable the integration of renewable energy, waste heat, and cogenerated heat into centralised systems. 

Heating — which accounts for around 40% of final energy use across the Western Balkans — remains one of Serbia’s most energy-intensive sectors. Around a quarter of Serbian households rely on district heating, primarily in urban areas, much of it still dependent on fossil fuels. Modernizing these systems is therefore essential not only to cut emissions, but also to tackle energy poverty and improve affordability, as outdated infrastructure and fossil fuel dependence continue to burden households. 

By using a cost-benefit analysis to pinpoint the most viable options for cleaner heating and cooling, this milestone under Article 14 of the Energy Community Energy Efficiency Directive lays the analytical foundation for long-term policy development and sectoral planning. It provides a robust data-driven basis for sustainable investment in the sector, providing investors with clear signals about the sector’s strategic direction. 

Serbia’s submission sets a strong example for the region, and the Secretariat encourages other Contracting Parties to finalise and notify their own comprehensive assessments. 

Serbia's Comprehensive Assessment of the Potential for High-Efficiency Cogeneration and Efficient District Heating and Cooling was developed with support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) under the Regional  Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP) Policy Dialogue Window, which provided technical assistance to the Sebian Ministry of Mining and Energy.