Lower costs boost Euro heat pump sales
28th March 2026
BELGIUM: Predictably, research by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) has confirmed that heap pump sales increase when upfront purchase prices and running costs are reduced.
The EHPA insists that cost reductions were behind the recent 10% jump in heat pump sales. Specifically, it attributes the increased sales experienced by 12 out of 16 European countries last year to governments helping consumers with upfront purchase costs by providing stable incentive schemes, and with running costs by reducing tax on electricity.
In some countries tax on electricity is several times higher than that on gas, making even highly energy efficient heat pumps more expensive to run. This has a direct impact on sales.
“If people are worried they will pay more, they won’t switch to a heat pump,” said Milagros García Salciarini, the EHPA’s policy officer. “As our report shows, they see changing national support schemes and high electricity taxes, and hesitate.”
Around 2.62 million heat pumps were sold last year to the countries surveyed, up from 2.38 million in 2024 and bringing the total number of heat pumps installed in Europe to around 28 million.
EHPA spoke to national heat pump experts and analysed press releases from the different countries to summarise the reasons for last year’s sales.
Earlier this month, the European Commission called on member states to reduce electricity taxation in an effort to reduce energy bills and tackle energy poverty in EU countries. The Commission estimates that lowering minimum excise duty rates and VAT could reduce household electricity bills by up to 14%, or around €200 per year on average.
“The European Commission wants to tackle electricity taxes; doing so would open the way for greater heat pump uptake, boosting Europe’s energy security and competitiveness,” commented Salciarini.
The countries covered in the report are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, UK. Sales grew in all except Austria, France, Norway and Poland.
The report – Pump it up: why heat pump sales rose in 2025 – is available for download from the EHPA website.
