Czech Gas Association launches long-term campaign to highlight benefits of natural gas

The Czech Gas Association will launch a long-term campaign in September to highlight the positive and environmental aspects of using natural gas. Its aim is to support households switching to natural gas heating and raise awareness of the benefits of CNG in passenger transport.  

• Natural gas is a modern, high-quality and environmentally friendly fuel for heating
• CNG is the most promising fuel in transport from both an environmental and economic perspective

“Nearly 90 percent of total emissions of carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene and almost 40 percent of total emissions of PM10 particulate matter come from local household heating. This is a truly alarming finding,” stressed Jan Valenta, chairman of the Board of the Czech Gas Association (ČPS), referring to data from the Ministry of the Environment’s National Emissions Reduction Programme of the Czech Republic.

More than 300 thousand outdated and environmentally harmful class 1 and 2 solid-fuel boilers are still in operation in the Czech Republic. Each emits up to 300 kg of dust into the air annually. From September 2022, a ban on the use of these boilers will take effect, with fines of up to 50 thousand crowns.

“Although natural gas is the most widely used fuel for heating family homes in the country, we still register almost three hundred thousand inactive gas connections. Thousands of tonnes of dust are thus being released into our immediate surroundings, unnecessarily polluting our air. We have therefore prepared a campaign through which we want to draw attention to the fact that switching to natural gas is an advantageous, environmentally friendly and responsible solution,” added J. Valenta.

So-called boiler subsidies, the second round of which is currently under way, are now helping to significantly improve air quality in the country. Three calls are due to be launched under the programme by 2020, with the state planning to redistribute a total of nine billion crowns from European Union funds. Up to 100 thousand outdated boilers are expected to be replaced.

“Boiler subsidies are a unique opportunity for people to save money. Although interest in gas condensing boilers is growing significantly among Czech residents, there are still many who do not consider at all what they use to heat their homes and what they emit into the surrounding area. The campaign highlights the possible impacts of their behaviour, as well as the savings in space, time and work if they switch to natural gas heating,” explained J. Valenta.

The ČPS campaign will begin in the media on 1 September 2018. Its first wave is planned for autumn this year and the second for spring 2019. The public will encounter a family whose daily routine involves stoking a boiler not only in television advertising, but also online, including on social media. The third part of the campaign, in summer 2019, will present the positive impacts of using compressed natural gas (CNG) in transport. It will discuss the benefits of low costs per kilometre travelled and environmental friendliness.

“People should know that driving on CNG can cost half as much. It is a significant saving for every family budget, and for all of us, every CNG car means fewer pollutants in the air. Moreover, the current government has provided long-term guarantees of savings through the reduced excise tax rate on CNG. This is also why compressed natural gas is now the number one alternative fuel in transport,” warned J. Valenta.

Natural gas is also an economic and environmental solution for freight transport, not only in the form of CNG but also as liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG trucks have a range of up to 1200 km and can save companies up to 25 % on fuel costs.

The use of solid-fuel boilers for household heating is among the most significant sources of air pollution in cities and municipalities. According to the State Health Institute, 4 000 people died prematurely in the Czech Republic in 2016 as a result of the adverse effects of deteriorated air quality. A 2017 report by the European Environment Agency ranks the Czech Republic among five European countries where air pollution poses a significant threat to the population.