GERMANY: Heat pumps are said to have overtaken gas for the first time in 2017 to became the most popular form of domestic heating in Germany.

Based on figures released by the Federal Statistical Office, the German heat pump association BWP reveals that heat pumps were installed in 43% of residential buildings in 2017. This was just ahead of gas heaters, which represented 42% of installations.

Air-source and water-source units accounted for around 35%, with geothermal taking 8%.

“The heat pump is increasingly being recognised by builders, planners and specialist contractors as the standard heating system for new buildings,” commented Martin Sabel, managing director of BWP. “The big advances in device efficiency, usability and design are driving demand. We expect that share to continue to rise significantly.”

In the overall market, heat pumps’ share at 41% is still just behind gas at 42%.