US and EU declare hopes for 1.5mn European smart thermostats

A joint statement released by US President Biden and European Commission President Von Der Leyen saw the two announce their mutual goals of deploying at least 1.5 million smart thermostats across Europe in 2022.

The statement was focused on efforts by the Task Force on European Energy Security formed by the US and the EC in light of Russian aggression.

“We will encourage Member States and European and US companies to reach an initial goal of deploying at least 1.5 million energy saving smart thermostats in European households this year,” the two presidents announced in the statement.

“In the coming days, we will reconvene with Member States and stakeholders to discuss actionable policy recommendations to accelerate smart thermostat and heat pump deployment and production in an effort to ensure supply for key energy efficiency solutions is ramping to meet the growing demand.”

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The Task Force itself has reportedly met regularly to discuss options to reduce Europe’s demand for natural gas and has also met with key stakeholders to promote the deployment of heat pumps, smart thermostats, and energy demand response solutions. 

And while smart metering has been gaining more traction, it still has some way to go in Europe, likely to reach the 80% threshold penetration for electricity only around 2025.

The announcement of their dual hope for such extensive roll-out came prior to the G7 Summit hosted this week, whereby international leaders focused on extensive market regulations in hopes of combatting the threat posed by Russia.