Whitepaper and Webinar
Circular Economy Strategies for Domestic Heating Systems
The future of domestic heat is to a larger extent electric, however, the future of the planet depends on the resources required being circular.
As heat pumps and hybrid heating systems scale to decarbonise European households, managing decommissioned units and their complex materials (such as steel, copper, aluminium, rare earths) is the next major challenge.
This joint initiative by E.ON, Essent, and IfM Engage (University of Cambridge) provides practical guidance on how to begin implementing circularity without waiting for a fully developed business case.
Fill out the form to access to the whitepaper and on-demand entry to the webinar.
What’s included:
- The Whitepaper: This whitepaper analyses the EU’s transition from gas boilers to heat pumps and provides tangible examples of strategies for circular economy approaches in the heating systems industry, using a real-world case study of the Dutch energy supplier and energy solutions provider Essent (part of the E.ON Group). It:
- Details a structured assessment of where circular economy strategies currently stand in the domestic heating sector, covering the material complexity and environmental performance of heat pumps and gas boilers, the state of commercial activity across the European value chain, and the regulatory landscape shaping scale-up, reporting, and end-of-life obligations, with a particular focus on the EU.
- Provides practical guidance on how to begin implementing circularity without waiting for a fully developed business case, drawing on the case study of Essent to illustrate how intra- and inter-organisational collaboration and low-cost, entry-point initiatives can be sequenced to build the foundations for more systemic circular change.
- Outlines a forward-looking agenda of systemic changes needed across the value chain, identifying eight interconnected areas requiring coordinated action by both industry and policymakers, from product design and high-value recycling to standardisation, market formation, and regulatory advocacy, with cross-sector lessons from other industries.
- The Webinar: Hear firsthand from expert contributors, with insights from E.ON and Essent on why circularity is an immediate operational priority, alongside real-world perspectives from refurbishers and suppliers across the value chain.
