European heat pump sales up 34%
12th July 2022
BELGIUM: Heat pump sales grew by a record 34% in Europe last year to 2.18 million units.
Figures published today by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) reveal that the 21 countries surveyed sold 560,000 more units than in 2020. The 21 countries covered are Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Slovakia and the UK
The EHPA estimates that the total number of installed heat pumps in the EU is now 16.98 million, covering around 14% of the heating market.
“The heat pump sector’s record growth in 2021 is part of a major shift to sustainable heating in Europe. We have a triple whammy: EU policy driving governments to decarbonise the building sector, leaps forward in heat pump technology, and the Covid pandemic which has helped many citizens realise they must upgrade their homes,” said EHPA secretary general Thomas Nowak.
“More recently, the terrible war waged by Russia on Ukraine has shown the madness of our dependency on fossil fuel imports for heating,” he added.
While all national heat pump markets experienced substantial growth last year, the strongest relative gains for heating heat pumps were achieved in Poland (an increase of 87%), Ireland (+69%), Italy (+63%), Slovakia (+42%) Norway, France (each +36%) and Germany (+28%).
Ten countries – France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands – accounted for 87% of the European market sales. The top three countries, France, Germany and Italy accounted for half the annual sales.
The five biggest European heat pump markets in terms of units sold (heat pumps and hot water units) in 2021 were France (537,000 units sold, +36%), Italy (382,000, +64%), Germany (177,000, +26%), Spain (148,000, +16%), and Sweden (135,000, +19%).
The biggest absolute increases compared to the 2020 figures were achieved in Italy (150,000 units more sold than in 2020 – a clear result of favourable national subsidies), France (+143,000), Poland (+43,000), Germany (+37,000) and Norway (+33,000).
“These figures could skyrocket further next year as the REPowerEU plan to get off Russian gas and its ambitious targets for heat pumps kicks in. We do see limitations in components supply, though, that may dampen the increase. Here we see the need for an EU heat pump acceleration action plan, to ensure smooth growth and avoid supply or HR bottlenecks,” added Jozefien Vanbecelaere, the EHPA’s head of EU affairs.
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