Sales of heat pumps fell by an average of 23% in 13 European countries* in 2024 compared to 2023, preliminary figures from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) reveal.
2 million heat pumps were sold in 2024 in those 13 countries, which make up around 85% of the European market, compared to 2.6 million in 2023. This brings the total stock to around 26 million, slowing the heating market shift from fossil fuels to heat pumps.
The sector is slashing jobs and reducing production in Europe after investing billions in additional capacity in 2022 and 2023 to bolster Europe’s energy security and cut the use of Russian gas, much of which now lies idle. This is harming the competitiveness that policy makers are so keen to bolster.
At least 4,000 jobs have been cut with over 6,000 more suffering impacts (see table). Overall, the sector provides around 170,000 direct jobs in Europe.
There are three reasons for the drop according to national experts: 1) governments have changed support schemes for heat pumps, unsettling consumer confidence; 2) a sluggish economy with a cost of living crisis, and 3) the low price of subsidised gas.
“The heat pump sector is down but far from out”, commented Paul Kenny, director general of the European Heat Pump Association. “Consumers want clean heat and comfortable homes, and they want to support European jobs and energy independence. As soon as they can see it’s possible thanks to supportive EU and national policies, and taxes which penalise fossil fuels not people, they show this by turning to heat pumps.
“We count on the EU Commission and governments to deliver in the coming months, starting by putting heat pumps front and centre of the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal, and supporting European clean tech leadership,” said Kenny.
Out of the 13 countries the sharpest drops were in Belgium with 52% lower sales and Germany with 48%. Only the UK bucked the trend; heat pump sales grew 63% thanks to supportive government schemes.
*The countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, UK.
Contact:
Sarah Azau
sarah.azau@ehpa.org
Tel: +32 473 57 31 37
Note on methodology:
EHPA makes a conservative estimation of the percentage of air to air heat pumps in each country that are used for heating (rather than only air conditioning) and therefore replacing a fossil fuel boiler. Air to air heat pumps make up about a third and a half of the heat pump market in Europe.
