Uppvärmning i Sverige – En succéhistoria med problem

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the transition of Sweden's heating energy system toward low-carbon sources. While highlighting the success of district heating and heat pumps in reducing fossil fuel reliance, the document warns of systemic 'lock-ins' and a lack of focus on reducing energy demand, which may hinder future climate and efficiency goals.

• Sweden has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing domestic emissions by 24 percent between 1990 and 2014 and by over 40 percent since the mid-1970s. The share of fossil fuels used for heating has dropped to under 5 percent.
• District heating is a dominant heating method in Sweden, accounting for over 50 percent of total building heating and 85 percent of the multi-family housing sector. This is significantly higher than the roughly 6 percent share of district heating in other EU countries.
• Electricity accounts for 20 to 25 percent of heating, split roughly equally between direct-acting electric heating and heat pumps. Sweden and Switzerland have the highest number of installed heat pumps per capita.
• The Swedish heating system is characterized by a 'supplier-dominated logic' and a preference for large-scale, self-sufficient production. This has led to a lack of focus on demand-reduction solutions, such as low-energy houses or net metering.
• There is a growing reliance on waste incineration for heating, which contradicts EU recycling goals. In 2015, Sweden imported 1.6 million tons of waste for energy recovery because domestic capacity exceeds domestic residual waste.
• High indoor temperatures in Sweden (averaging 21.2 °C in small houses and 22.3 °C in multi-family houses) represent a major energy saving potential. Lowering the average indoor temperature to 20 °C could save 13.3 TWh per year.
• The heating system faces future challenges from climate change (rising outdoor temperatures), the need to renovate the building stock, and stricter EU energy efficiency directives, which will likely reduce the overall demand for heat energy.

APA

Dzebo, A., & Nykvist, B. (2017). Uppvärmning i Sverige – En succéhistoria med problem. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2017-PB-Dzebo-Nykvist-SweHeatEnergySystem-swe.pdf

Chicago

Dzebo, Adis, and Björn Nykvist. Uppvärmning i Sverige – En succéhistoria med problem. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2017-PB-Dzebo-Nykvist-SweHeatEnergySystem-swe.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dzebo |first1=Adis |last2=Nykvist |first2=Björn |title=Uppvärmning i Sverige – En succéhistoria med problem |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2017 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2017-PB-Dzebo-Nykvist-SweHeatEnergySystem-swe.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dzebo2017uppvrmning, author = {Dzebo, Adis and Nykvist, Björn}, title = {{Uppvärmning i Sverige – En succéhistoria med problem}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2017-PB-Dzebo-Nykvist-SweHeatEnergySystem-swe.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }