Full heat pump rollout would slash around 25% of Europe’s carbon emissions from energy, analysis from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) reveals.
Fitting heat pumps in every building and compatible industrial process, and ensuring renewable electricity from wind and solar sources would avoid around 600 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2. This is more than the annual emissions of the EU’s biggest economy, Germany, or indeed of the 17 smallest EU countries combined.
Paul Kenny, director general of EHPA said:
“Leaders need to stop fiddling while the world burns, and do what works. Heat pumps are already delivering emissions cuts and protection from fossil fuel prices. Show your voters you’re serious about this; make it easy to install a heat pump in every building and low temperature industry by ensuring upfront support, affordable, clean electricity and a smooth grid connection. Climate change does not wait and nor should we.”
Each residential heat pump installed displaces around 1,100 m3 of gas and 2 tonnes of CO2 per year on average, if the small amount of electricity it uses to run is from renewable sources.
Today there are around 30 million residential heat pumps installed in Europe, with around 3 million more added in 2025. Putting a heat pump in every compatible building would bring this number to at least 100 million, according to EHPA’s calculations. On industry, heat pumps could replace gas in 39% of processes, with today’s technology.
The European Commission aims for 4 million heat pumps to be installed each year and the EU has a 2050 target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
