As of 1 July 2025, the ban on selling coal to homes. How do you warm the house?

The Ministry of Climate and Environment announced a plan to make crucial changes to the solid fuel market, which are expected to apply from 1 July 2029. The fresh regulations, which are part of the National Recovery Plan, aim to improve air quality in Poland, but can besides importantly affect the budgets of many households. The introduction of a ban on the sale of circumstantial coal products can force Poles to search more costly alternatives or to invest in modern heating systems.

Prohibition of Sale of Selected Coal Sorters since 2029

One of the main objectives of the fresh regulation is to ban the sale of certain types of coal, specified as cubes, nuts, peas and had, for households. This means that from 1 July 2029 only selected fuels that meet advanced quality standards can be sold for usage in advanced low-carbon heating equipment. These requirements aim to reduce emissions, but may besides lead to fuel price increases, which may in turn burden household budgets.

Quality standards based on the PN-EN 303-5 standards include, among another things, maximum ash content up to 7%, a calorific value of not little than 26 MJ/kg and a limit of the full moisture content to 11%. These requirements are expected to aid importantly reduce emissions of harmful substances, especially in winter, erstwhile the problem of smog is most felt.

Increasing Heating Costs and Investment Necessity

Experts point out that the introduction of strict quality standards on solid fuels will affect their price. Higher fuel quality entails higher production costs, yet affecting consumer prices. Increases in heating costs can force many families to search alternate energy sources specified as gas, electricity or biomass, as well as to invest in modern heating systems that, though more efficient, besides require considerable financial investment.

Fighting Greenwashing and Changes in Fuel Names

Under the fresh regulations, the Ministry of Climate and Environment besides plans to change the naming of fuels in order to counter greenwashing practices, i.e. to mislead consumers about the ecological nature of products. The current names, specified as ‘ecogross’ or ‘ecomal’, will be replaced by ‘coal peas’ and ‘coal had’ respectively. This aims to guarantee greater transparency and to facilitate consumers' informed choice of fuel that actually meets advanced environmental standards.

Progressive Introduction of Changes

The Ministry plans to introduce fresh rules gradually to give producers and consumers time to adapt to the fresh requirements. This process is expected to be spread over respective years, allowing a smooth transition to greener standards while minimising the negative economical impact on the fuel manufacture and households. The further simplification of sulphur and moisture content of fuels aims to further reduce emissions.

Background Historical and Future Steps

As early as 1 June 2020, the sale of lignite for home heating purposes is prohibited, and as of 1 July 2025 the ban will besides cover solid fuels produced by the thermal treatment of lignite. These actions are part of a broad government strategy to combat air contamination and advance more sustainable energy sources.

Final decisions on the fresh regulation will be taken after the public consultation and marketplace readiness to implement them. Although the aim of the changes is to improve air quality, they may have far-reaching economical and social impacts which will require monitoring and, if necessary, the introduction of support programmes for the most susceptible households.