EU leaders discussed many areas key for the heating sector at their summit on 23 October. These included key competitiveness, climate and energy related topics.
EHPA applauds this focus at the highest political level: heating represents 50% of EU’s energy use and has a huge impact on the competitiveness, health, wealth and security of the European Union.
Paul Kenny, EHPA director general said:
“EU leaders have accepted that the lifeblood of our energy system must be electricity. At the heart of energy affordability, security and climate transition is electrification.”
This electricity needs to be affordable and clean to meet the European Council’s other aims on industrial transformation, modernisation and decarbonisation.
“Want to boost investment, production, and Europe’s leadership in the clean heat economy? The best thing governments can do is shift taxes off the electricity bill so it is no more than twice the price of gas. This will strengthen the take-up of both residential heat pumps and the industrial-size ones which can decarbonise up to 39% of process heat. The vast majority of all heat pumps are manufactured in Europe”, said Kenny.
The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) calls for strong support to accelerate the roll-out of industrial heat pumps to ensure Europe’s industry is competitive, resilient and achieves climate-neutrality.
EHPA also strongly supports the European Council’s call to advance the Single Market Strategy. This is critical for the heat transition, as it enables the creation of a unified market for heat pumps across Europe.
It is also crucial to have one single certification system, such as the Heat Pump Keymark, to streamline access to the market and ensure eligibility for support schemes. This approach will accelerate deployment, reduce administrative burdens, and help deliver on Europe’s climate and energy goals.
Concerning the Council’s call on boosting demand for products ‘made in Europe’, EHPA supports a pragmatic approach that strengthens the competitiveness and resilience of the European heat pump industry while recognising the importance of global supply chains.
On regulatory simplification, EHPA believes that any changes to regulations should take place only when necessary, support the energy transition. To allow companies time and ability to adapt they should be grouped and planned, ensure long phase-in as well as being predictable and setting clear deadlines to allow planning for product cycles.
