Europe’s heat pump market picks up

Europe’s heat pump market appears to be recovering after three years of stagnation, new analysis has found.

A report issued by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), titled European Heat Pump Market and Statistics Report 2014, found that 769,879 heat pump units were sold in 21 European countries last year, an increase of 3% over the previous year. According to the EHPA, this upward trend is set to continue into 2014.

The report said air remains the dominant energy source for heat pumps, while heat pumps for domestic hot water are the fastest-growing market segment. Larger heat pumps for commercial, industrial and district heating applications are increasingly popular, and are often fuelled by geothermal or hydrothermal energy although air is also used.

Most national markets returned to growth after a difficult 2012, the report found, with 15 of the 21 countries surveyed seeing positive development, notably Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Finland.

According to Thomas Nowak, EHPA Secretary General, heat pumps can contribute to European climate and energy goals due to their efficiency and ability to deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But policy support for the technology “is still underdeveloped”, the EHPA said.

Source: COSPP