Amid a collapse of European heat pump sales, the new chief lobbyist for the industry says he wants to focus on making them more attractive to allow manufacturers to stand up to their competitors from abroad.
Amid a Europe-wide slump in 2023 heat pump sales, the industry’s outlook is bleak – putting pressure on the next European Commission to reinvigorate the key sector.
On Wednesday 16 May, 15 EU Member States published a joint working document calling on the Commission to prioritise the decarbonisation of heating and cooling in order to increase the EU’s energy independence and meet its climate targets.
The Brussels lobby group for heat pumps has blamed a 5% slump in 2023 sales on higher interest rates and cheap natural gas, based on a 16-country analysis.
Europe’s heat pump industry is flagging and has been forced to cut, or temporarily freeze, 3000 jobs following investments into production capacity that overshot demand growth.
The European Commission has shelved proposals to boost the roll-out of heat pumps with a dedicated action plan, a move that will likely delay the initiative beyond the EU elections in June.
