(Bloomberg) -- The Netherlands is planning to make it mandatory to install more sustainable home-heating systems from 2026, the latest in a series of policies rolled out by European nations seeking to wean themselves off Russian fossil fuels.

New Dutch houses, and old ones that need to replace their heating systems, will have to install hybrid heat pumps — a combination of a pump that draws heat from the surrounding air and a central gas boiler — or a green alternative, according to a Tuesday letter sent to parliament by Hugo de Jonge, minister for housing and spatial planning. The cabinet is working on standards for suppliers and installers, he said. Old buildings that aren’t suitable for hybrid heat pumps can stick to their current systems.

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Heat pumps can help cut heating bills by a quarter compared with conventional gas boilers, according to European consumer organizations, and have been championed by experts as a cost-effective way to cut demand for fossil fuels used to keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The UK plans to ban gas boilers in new homes after 2025, in line with what the International Energy Agency says is needed for the world to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. But the European Union has so far declined to implement a similar restriction, saying instead that countries should try to gradually phase out dirty heating systems.

The Dutch government said installers such as Techniek Nederland and manufacturers represented by the Dutch heating industry and the Heat Pumps Association have agreed to ensure they can install and produce sufficient devices.

Manufacturers are currently building factories where they can produce hybrid heat pumps on a large scale and at lower costs, it said. There is currently a 30% subsidy for purchasing a heat pump and the cabinet has set aside 150 million euros ($158 million) per year to support homeowners with replacements by 2030.

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