Crucial questions and answers
What happened last week?
MEPs voted in favour of a report from
Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall that "urges the Commission to establish timetables for the withdrawal from the market of all the least energy-efficient items of equipment,
appliances and other energy-using products, such as patio heaters". Hall's report also
supports the broader aims of the European Commission's Action Plan for Energy
Efficiency, which aims to "improve energy
efficiency by more than 20% by 2020".
What happens now?
The report has been handed to the European Commission, which has the power to initiate legislation affecting national Governments. The Commission does not have to obey Hall's report but the strength of support for the proposal - 592 MEPs voted in favour of it, with just 26 against and 30 abstentions - suggests it is likely that some action will be taken at some point.
What does the UK Government say?
A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesman said no legislation banning patio heaters was being planned. He said the Government was keen to abide by the EU proposal to reduce carbon emissions but said: "As there are many devices with significantly more CO2 emissions than patio heaters, these are not the priority." The bottom line is don't ditch your heaters yet.
Could a ban affect all types of heaters?
In theory, yes - Hall's report calls for "the withdrawal from the market of all the least energy-efficient items of equipment,
appliances and other energy-using products". It is now up to the manufacturers of heating devices to lobby the Commission to give the counter argument to the campaigners.
What do environmentalists say?
Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said: "In the face of the threat posed by climate change it is madness that we should be wasting energy and pumping out carbon dioxide by heating the open air. If the UK Government is committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions it must be prepared to back EU proposals to improve energy efficiency, which include banning these carbon-belching monstrosities." Friends of the Earth highlights data from the Energy Saving Trust, which
estimates that a propane patio heater with a heat output of 12.5kW will produce around 34.9kg of CO2 before the fuel runs out -
equivalent to producing 5,200 cups of tea.
What does the patio heater industry say?
Gas supplier Calor says patio heaters are not nearly as wasteful as many believe. Calor said each year the average patio heater produces less than one quarter of the CO2 emitted by a tumble dryer, and it would take the average patio heater more than five years to produce as much CO2 as one TV on stand-by mode does each year. Tony Holman, MD of Crown Awnings, said gas heaters are about 10 times less efficient than electric devices - although gas power stations are used to produce the electricity in the first place.
What impact would a ban have on pubs?
The rapid development in outdoor areas in the past two years or so means a ban on heaters would hit pubs hard. Calor said that the pub trade has invested £86.5m in outdoor areas in the past 12 months. "Even if only 10% of the UK pub trade has outdoor facilities such as these, if a ban is enforced - effectively restricting outside dining for six months of the year - the licensing and catering industry could lose up to £250m each year, which could equate to £45,000 for a single business." Holman said the effect would be huge, even if the ban was restricted to gas heaters. "Many pubs that we go to don't have the power to run electric heaters so have no choice but to go down the road of having gas heaters. These pubs would be hit the hardest."
