AREA has adopted a joint position paper together with EPEE and EHPA. The paper stresses that “favouring district energy could block other highly energy efficient solutions: by choosing certain means (district heating and district cooling) instead of setting overall clear saving targets, the Directive risks to block other energy efficient solutions such as heat pumps, heat recovery or combined local heating/cooling solutions”. The position therefore defends the technology neutrality principle, as well as coherence with the Directive on the promotion and use of renewable energy sources.