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Record growth for Europe ’ s heat pump market in 2021
Heat pump sales grew by 34 % in Europe – an all-time high , figures published by the European Heat Pump Association reveal . 2.18 million heat pump units were sold in 21 countries * – nearly 560,000 more than in 2020 . This brings the total number of installed heat pumps in the EU to
16.98 million , covering around 14 % of the heating market **.
All text and graphics courtesy of European Heat Pump Association
The heat pumps now installed in the EU avoid over 44 million tonnes of CO2 – slightly more than the annual emissions of Ireland - with the heating sector producing around 1000 Mt overall . Thomas Nowak , secretary general of the European Heat Pump Association said : “ 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 .” “ More recently , the terrible war waged by Russia on Ukraine has shown the madness of our dependency on fossil fuel imports for heating ”, said Nowak .
Impressive figures Commenting on the global context , Rana Adib , Executive Director of renewable energy body REN21 said : “ When you look at the heating and cooling sector which accounts for over 50 % of total energy consumption , renewable energy accounts for only 11 %. The recent energy crisis highlights how important it is to have a cost-effective , reliable , and renewables-based energy system which is where heat-pumps play a critical role in Europe and beyond .”
In Europe last year , all national heat pump markets experienced substantial growth , although some have far higher sales than in others . 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 %). 87 % of the European market volume was sold in only ten countries ( France , Italy , Germany , Spain , Sweden , Finland , Norway , Poland , Denmark and the Netherlands ). The top three countries , France , Germany , Italy accounted for half of 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 , Head of EU Affairs at the European Heat Pump Association .
* 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 . ** Based on the assumption of 150 to 120 million residential and office buildings in the EU-28
Heat pump sales in Europe in 2021 , by technology
46 Heat Exchanger World October 2022 www . heat-exchanger-world . com