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The post Energy crisis: five ways to boost heat pumps appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

The post Heat pump sales show EU focus on electricity tax is right call appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

The post Annual report 2025: introduction appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

EHPA is also part of the Electrification Alliance, which welcomed its first ever director Adrian Hiel this year. A full day conference on electrification with a specific focus on industrial electrification, Watt’s Next, took place in Brussels in December, with strong organisational and content support from EHPA, and was extremely well attended. The aim was to input into the EU’s upcoming electrification action plan.

Heat Pump Day on 21 October – an initiative conceived of and coordinated by the secretariat – took place with 48 partners across Europe organising well over 100 events to raise awareness around the benefits of heat pumps. EHPA led an active and lively myth-busting social media campaign and organised with several partners the launch of an infographic heating transition book on 22 October.

EHPA is part of the

All in all, our social media platforms continue to thrive, with regular policy ‘hot takes’ being posted to Youtube, LinkedIn and Bluesky, and our over 26,000 followers on LinkedIn forming a lively, active and growing community. This is complemented by regular and targeted media work, with particular attention always going to our market data stories.

We continue to focus on our members getting maximum insights and value from their membership, including regular webinars with secretariat experts on topics chosen by our members, policy Q&A sessions as well as task force membership opportunities, discounts at key events with networking opportunities, project and funding opportunities, full market data access and more.

Read more of the annual report 2025:

• Introduction
• A clear policy direction
• Affordability for heat pumps
• Industrial heat pumps and waste heat
• Competitiveness and skills
• Flexibility
• Product design, innovation and certification

The post Annual report 2025: partnerships, communications and campaigns appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

What’s more, heat pump end users need to see a rapid return on their investment, which is closely linked to the taxes governments put on the gas and electricity bills.  

In February, the European Commission’s Affordable Energy Action Plan, which accompanied its Clean Industrial Deal, highlighted the importance of reducing electricity bills and remunerating energy grid flexibility. The year was book-ended by the EU’s Affordable Housing Plan in December. Significantly, this plan considers a home’s ‘affordability’ also in terms of energy costs, says affordability should not come at the expense of sustainability, and again repeats that energy bills & taxes must be addressed. 

EHPA called and campaigned all year on these issues, showing high energy prices are making it harder for households and businesses to switch from gas to heat pumps through a series of maps and data analysis showing how many countries tax gas far less than electricity. Our message is being listened to, with Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, The UK, Belgium and Ireland all shifting energy taxes in favour of electricity versus gas.

Another way of making heat pumps competitive is by putting a price on carbon pollution. This is already the case for energy intensive industries and electricity under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The ETS was due to be expanded to buildings and road transport, making heat pumps more competitive compared to fossil fuel heating. However in November, EU governments decided to delay the second ETS for a year to 2028 – a move EHPA described as ‘political posturing’ when rapid implementation of the ETS is key. 

EHPA supported its ongoing advocacy work on the ETS2 with a communications campaign including social media videos and an infographic leaflet.  

We also put the issue of costs at the heart of the policy debate for EHPA’s members which followed our 2025 General Assembly. Four MEPs and two energy analysts debated decoupling electricity and gas prices, how to ensure everyone can invest in a heat pump, and the future carbon cost of buildings under the EU’s second Emissions Trading System.

One way to ensure everyone can invest in a heat pump is through new business models. One such is ‘social leasing’ or when lower income households can rent a heat pump or clean technologies thanks to public financing. EHPA published a position on social leasing for heat pumps ahead of the expected European Commission guidance on the topic.

Social leasing is a publicly supported scheme that enables low-income households to access clean technologies through affordable monthly rental payments, without the need for upfront ownership.

EHPA believes that social leasing for heat pumps, complementing existing instruments such as grants, reduced VAT rates, and green loans, is a promising solution to overcome high upfront costs and ensure equitable access to clean heating for all.

What’s more, EHPA is involved in research on the topic via a new EU-funded project, HP SUBSCRIBE, which will look into an innovative heat pumps on subscription model. This should open the door for buildings to switch from fossil-fuel boilers to high-efficiency heat pumps with no upfront cost for either landlords or tenants. 

Another relevant EU-funded project EHPA is part of is Street HP Reno – which is developing street wide approach for housing for collective switch of energy systems to heat pumps packaged modules. The ultimate goal is to reduce costs and enable the large-scale deployment of heat pumps in renovation projects, serving as a key lever for decarbonising heating in existing housing. 

Affirming the importance of addressing costs, the European Commission’s Heat Pump Accelerator Platform – led by EHPA, VITO and Fraunhofer – focused on this in its first position paper, developed at the end of 2025.  

As well as focusing on the points mentioned above, the paper says that better use of flexibility is important. This is because heat pumps also become more attractive and affordable when consumers are offered a lower or variable electricity tariff if they switch to a heat pump (see ‘Flexibility’ section). 

The post Annual report 2025: affordable heat pumps appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

The potential is huge: they could provide around 39% of process heat needs if fully rolled out. 

EHPA kicked off 2025 by bringing industrial heat pumps into the limelight, holding a workshop followed by an EU Parliament debate hosted by Sean Kelly MEP on the topic and specifically on how industrial heat pumps can recover and reuse waste heat.

This was supported by press releases, an infographic leaflet and a communications campaign.

Further events EHPA was involved in dug in even more, from a session we co-organised at the EU Sustainable Energy Week, to the EU-funded SPIRIT project’s summer school in Denmark organised with DTU, to our role as a partner with two speaking slots at the Industrial Heat Prague conference in November. 

The EU is pushing the take-up of industrial heat pumps through policies focused on encouraging industrial electrification, such as the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act and Electrification Action Plan. It is providing financing via a new ‘Innovation Fund’ auction for projects that decarbonise industrial process heat. This will be key to helping industry implement the switch from fossil fuel–based technologies to clean alternatives such as heat pumps.

Another important step in EHPA’s view would be by governments by shifting taxes off the electricity bill to make electrification more competitive – just like for residential heat pumps.

EHPA partners with end user organisations such as paper and pulp body Cepi, and in 2025 launched a new collaboration with the man-made fibres sector (CIRFS), as well as increasing dialogues with the chemicals and food and drink trade bodies. 

The latter sector is also the focus of the three-year EXQUISHEAT project, in which EHPA is a partner, and which will identify where heat pumps can deliver the greatest efficiency gains in the food and drink sector and develop replicable solutions ready for market adoption. The BETTED project focuses specifically on the dairy industry and how energy efficiency and heat pumps can be integrated. 

The SPIRIT project – as well as running the summer school mentioned above – is developing three full-scale demonstrations of heat pump technologies integrated at three different process sites in the paper and food & beverage industries.

EU–funded project PUSH2HEAT is looking into overcoming barriers and developing business models, and GEOFLEXheat focuses on geothermal energy technology for use in industry.

More information on our EU-funded projects, and how they drive innovation and support our policy work can be found here.  

Read more of our annual report 2025:

• Introduction 

• A clear policy direction 

• Affordability for heat pumps 

• Competitiveness and skills 

• Flexibility 

• Product design, innovation and certification 

• Partnerships, communications and campaigns 

The post Annual report 2025: the industrial sleeping giant appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

EHPA keeps a map up to date showing the 300 heat pump and heat pump component manufacturing sites there are in Europe alone.

Maintaining that competitiveness is vital for Europe’s clean tech leadership and energy independence, and to accelerate the clean energy transition.

In early 2026, the EU is expected to publish its Industrial Accelerator Act, which will set out guidelines to help industries stay competitive in Europe, and try to boost products being ‘Made in Europe’. This will complement the previously published EU Net Zero Industry Act, which aims for 40% of specific clean technologies deployed in Europe to be produced in Europe.

What’s more, investment in skills is key to meet the expected needs in terms of heat pump engineers and installers, with around 500,000 more full-time equivalent employees needing to be ready for action in the next seven years12. 

Skills is a topic being researched by the European Commission’s Heat Pump Accelerator Platform, of which EHPA is a co-organiser. EHPA is also part of the EU’s Renewable Energy Skills Partnership, which promotes sector-wide cooperation to build a skilled workforce, ensuring competitiveness and achieving EU energy and climate goals. 

EHPA is looking into helping its members to communicate more effectively with installers and potential installers, and is a consortium partner in several relevant EU-funded projects. 

The RESKILL4NETZERO project aims to create and test an EU wide scalable blueprint for the critical job profiles needed to address the skilled labour force shortage in the renewable energy industries. This will include training courses and EU recognised certification that confirms the required skills and competences have been acquired at a satisfactory level.

As for the HeatCraftHP project, it aims to identify the skills needed for heat pump installation and troubleshooting, and to develop a comprehensive and tailored programme where learning activities are integrated in daily work activities. 

Finally, SKILLSAFE EU focuses on guidelines to help manufacturers and installers work with flammable natural refrigerants safely.

Read more of our annual report 2025:

• Introduction 

• A clear policy direction 

• Affordability for heat pumps 

• Industrial heat pumps and waste heat 

• Flexibility 

• Product design, innovation and certification 

• Partnerships, communications and campaigns 

The post Annual report 2025: keeping competitive and qualified appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

To ensure this happens, consumers need to have some sort of incentive, such as electricity tariffs that go down when overall power demand is lower.

Grid operators need to be aware of the flexibility potential offered by heat pumps and take this into account in their grid planning.

It is also important that heat pumps can be switched off and on to enable grid stability and help the power system run smoothly.

EHPA has inputted into EU initiatives such as the ‘Network Code on Demand Connection’ – this harmonises the rules over how to connect large renewable energy plants to the grid and integrate demand response into the electricity grid.

Another is the EU’s Grid Connection Code, which sets the rules for connecting users, like power generators and consumers, to the electricity grid.

These rules are meant to ensure a reliable and secure grid, boost renewable energy, and support fair competition in the electricity market.

In December 2025, the European Commission’s published a Grids Package which aims to modernise Europe’s electricity grids, and connect them up better. This will help integrate more renewable electricity and lower energy prices – both key to speeding up heat pump rollout.

EHPA stated that this is an important signal from the European Commission. Rapid implementation across Member States will be key to unlocking the benefits of clean, smart, and flexible heating.

A crucial part of flexibility is the ability to store heat – known as ‘thermal energy storage’.

During a technical webinar in December 2025, experts from several leading research institutions, including EU-funded projects in which EHPA was involved showed their latest progress on this. These include BEST-Storage, which is looking into peak load reduction and  energy cost minimisation and ECHO, which is researching modular thermal energy storage solutions. 

Read more of our annual report 2025:

• Introduction 

• A clear policy direction 

• Affordability for heat pumps 

• Industrial heat pumps and waste heat 

• Competitiveness and skills 

• Product design, innovation and certification 

• Partnerships, communications and campaigns 

The post Annual report 2025: the flexibility fix appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

The Heat Pump KEYMARK team were present at numerous events and trade fairs last year alongside EHPA, including Heat Pump Technologies in Italy giving a presentation on the benefits of the label, and ISK Sodex in Istanbul.

EHPA also runs the Quality Label certification scheme, which continued to demonstrate stability and an active engagement from the market under the coordination of the association. Overall participation levels remained relatively consistent, reflecting sustained confidence in the scheme, with around 1,774 valid certificates covering approximately 11,257 certified models. This steady performance underlines the continued involvement of manufacturers and stakeholders and confirms the Quality Label’s ongoing relevance as a recognised reference point in the sector.

In EU policy terms, EHPA continued to input to the EU’s energy efficient product design (Ecodesign) and labelling rules, taking part to represent the heat pump sector’s views in European Commission round-tables and relevant meetings, as well as an exchange on energy efficient product legislation with EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgenson. 

For EHPA, it is key to decide upon and enact updates to Ecodesign rules more quickly so that they are not over-taken by other agendas, and to give the sector time to adapt. We supported our messages via a communications campaign.

More generally, product policy has become very complex. Right now, heat pump manufacturers must navigate multiple EU and national product requirements including those related to Ecodesign, refrigerants and flexibility. These mean they have to repeatedly redesign products and get them certified, which adds technical, manufacturing and administrative burdens and costs. The EU needs to coordinate product requirements and align them strategically, bearing in mind the effect this has on product development cycles and product cost, predictability, heat pump uptake and heating decarbonisation more broadly. 

In addition, more and more countries are coming out with local content requirements. This is further damaging the single market, pushing up prices, creating administrative burdens and restricting market availability of certain heat pump technologies. 

Another key product design issue for EHPA is that of refrigerants. Historically, heat pumps contained fluorinated gases (F-gases), which have a significant global warming potential. The EU now limits their availability and aims to reduce emissions to one-fifth of 2014 levels by 2030. In response, the heat pump sector is rapidly transitioning towards non-fluorinated refrigerant alternatives wherever this is technically and economically feasible.

In 2025, EHPA worked closely with its members to engage with the European Commission and national authorities on the practical implementation of the revised F-gas Regulation. EHPA coordinated technical input and joint industry positions, including on labelling requirements and rules on placing products on the market, together with partner associations. These actions aimed to ensure that the new rules deliver emissions reductions while maintaining legal certainty, product availability and investment confidence across the sector. The next steps are continued exchanges with policymakers to clarify remaining implementation interpretations.

In parallel, the EU is considering a proposal to restrict more than 10,000 chemical substances under the planned PFAS restriction, some of which are currently used in heat pump technologies. EHPA has consistently argued that, without appropriate safeguards, this proposal could unintentionally undermine EU climate and energy objectives by limiting the deployment of efficient heat pumps before viable alternatives are available. To emphasise this risk, EHPA actively participated in discussions within the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) of the European Chemicals Agency, and worked with other European associations to align questions and evidence submitted to regulators during the sessions. 

The next steps include preparing a dedicated EHPA position for upcoming SEAC consultation (public consultation will be open for 60-days in spring 2026), contributing data on refrigerant use and alternatives, and engaging further with EU institutions to ensure climate-compatible outcomes. 

Read more of EHPA’s annual report 2025:

• Introduction 

• A clear policy direction 

• Affordability for heat pumps 

• Industrial heat pumps and waste heat 

• Competitiveness and skills 

• Flexibility 

• Partnerships, communications and campaigns 

The post Annual report 2025: design, innovation and certification appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.

The post Analysis: high taxes on electricity are slowing heat pump uptake appeared first on European Heat Pump Association.