AC heat pumps outsell condensing boilers

FRANCE: UK-based market intelligence company BSRIA has revealed that air-air air-conditioning/heat pump units outsold condensing boilers in France last year.

BSRIA estimates that the market for ducted and un-ducted single splits, multi splits, and VRF had increased to 589,000 units in 2018, while 532,000 condensing boilers were sold.

This is seen as an important milestone for the air conditioning industry, which is expecting a further sharp upturn in growth, with sales of air-air splits soaring to a record 700,000 units sold.

This rate of growth is also having an impact on the level of HFC refrigerants in the market. BSRIA estimates that in 2018, about 880 tonnes of R410A were sold with splits and VRF. This includes the factory charge, as well as the refrigerant charge in pipes as part of the installation of each product. This compares with 257 tonnes of the lower GWP alternative R32. For the moment, R32 is only used in France with units below 5hp, corresponding to about 14kW of cooling capacity.

BSRIA’s market reports can be accessed here.