A report by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) has found that after three years of stagnation the European heat pump markets are recovering.

The EHPA has published the latest version of its European Heat Pump Market and Statistics Report 2014, which includes market data and statistics on heat pumps from 21 European countries.

It found that 771,245 heat pump units were sold in Europe in 2013, an increase of 3 percent, and early data for 2014 show this trend to continue.

Thomas Nowak, secretary general of EHPA, believes this is very encouraging news, not only for the heat pump sector but also for Europe’s broader policy goals. “It has been said that the future Energy Union should be about sustainability, competitiveness, and security of supply.

“Heat pumps can help meeting these three objectives — they are efficient, use renewables and thus reduce GHG emission.

“The industry is mature, and ready to deliver. Solutions exist for nearly all application areas from residential to industrial use of heating and cooling. In addition, more heat pumps mean local jobs and create a true alternative to ‘problematic’ imports of fossil fuels.”

On security of supply, EHPA had recently issued a ‘Winter is coming’ paper showing how heat pumps could replace over time the total share of heat produced with imported Russian gas, while providing a fair contribution to meeting the EU’s 2030 targets.

The report issued shows also that air remains the energy source mainly used by heat pumps and that heat pumps for domestic water are the fastest growing segment.

Content for the European Spotlight is provided courtesy of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Magazine, London. For more information, visit www.racplus.com.

Publication date: 12/22/2014

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!