According to the new 2023 market report from the European Heat Pump Association, led by France, the European construction industry has avoided more greenhouse gas emissions than ever before due to record growth in heat pump sales in 2022. The addition of 3 million heat pumps last year brought the total inventory of heat pumps to 20 million units. These measures can avoid 52.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually – approximately equivalent to Greece’s annual emissions. Thomas Nowak, Secretary General of the European Heat Pump Association, said:

2022 was a year of outstanding sales performance for heat pumps in Europe. This laid the foundation for sustained and exceptional growth and brought benefits to heat pumps in terms of climate action, energy independence, and employment. Undoubtedly, this was the decade of heat pumps. Last year, France once again saw strong heat pump growth, leading the way in avoiding greenhouse gas emissions through heat pumps, far exceeding 16 million tons. Following closely behind are Germany and Italy, each avoiding greenhouse gas emissions of over 5 million tons.

Heat pumps play a leading role in achieving net zero emissions, but to put them at the center, the government must send a clear policy signal. Jozefien Vanbecelaere, head of EU affairs at the European Environmental Protection Agency, said: They can achieve this goal by addressing distorted pricing issues that lean towards natural gas rather than electricity, and support the European Commission’s proposal to phase out independent fossil fuel boilers

Last month, the European Environmental Protection Agency and the European Climate Foundation, together with more than 20 organizations, released a document on the “EU Heat Pump Accelerator” and submitted it to the European Commission. The accelerator has identified obstacles and solutions to accelerate the promotion of heat pumps. It will be included in the heat pump action plan to be launched by the European Commission by the end of 2023.