Industry offers heat pump roadmap

Belgium: EU Heat Pump Acceleratoran industry roadmap on the obstacles facing the heat pump industry – and solutions to overcome them – has been presented to the European Commission.

The 16-page document was handed over to EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson last week by the initiative’s coordinators, the European Heat Pump Association and the European Climate Foundation.

The Heat Pump Accelerator was drafted by 23 organizations including industry, government and NGOs to provide advice to the European Commission, which intends to publish a heat pump action plan by the end of this year.

Thomas Novak, general secretary of the European Heat Pump Association, said heat pumps were now considered to have a vital role as Europe closed the door on fossil fuels.

“We thank the European Commission for receiving the accelerator and urge it to heed its advice,” he said. “Above all, the industry needs clear signals of long-term support from policymakers.”

Barriers identified in the Accelerator document include upfront and operating costs, a lack of clear information for consumers, and a shortage of installers. The five overarching solutions proposed are to make clean heating the standard; support European industry leadership; increase energy system integration with flexible heat pumps; make information and affordability easier for consumers, and build the skills and workforce needed.

Contributing organizations are:
Bazaar Energy Transition; Daikin Europe; Danfoss; Consortium for Environmental Standards (ECOS); EIT Innovative Energy; Energy Cities; European Partnership for Energy and Environment (EPEE); ; Europe; GCP Europe; Glenn Duplex; Dutch Government (Ministry of the Interior, Economic Affairs and Climate Policy); International Energy Agency; Natural Environment; Regulatory Assistance Program (RAP); Samsung Electronics; Smart; Stiebel Love Gen; European Consumer Organization (BEUC).

Can read and download Heat Pump Accelerator documentation here.