Rolling out heat pumps is central to the clean-energy transition and to achieving carbon neutrality in line with the goals set in the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan.
The Platform is designed to bring together key players to collaborate, share ideas, experiences and best practices to promote sustainable heating solutions.
Objectives
To identify barriers to the deployment of heat pumps across the EU, and suggest targeted policy measures to address them, the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform will
- create a network of heat pump people from across the EU to work together and accelerate heat pump deployment
- track policies that impact heat pump deployment, especially at national level
- align strategies on energy, industry, research, and education so they all support heat pump deployment
- tackle barriers through the expertise of platform members to identify and solve them
Meetings and events
Over the period 2024-2027 the Platform will organise 9 structured meetings offering opportunities for insight sharing, contribute to strategy and shape the Platform’s goals. These meetings will be held in Brussels in a hybrid format, allowing members the flexibility to attend either online or in person. 1 meeting in person per year is, however, strongly recommended.
The next Platform meeting is taking place on 27th January 2025. More information to follow shortly.
The 3rd Heat Pump Accelerator Platform meeting, held within the framework of Heat Pump Day, gathered over 60 members to discuss the first position paper of the platform, the first set of deliverables and to participate in a workshop to identify research and innovation priorities to ensure the competitiveness of the heat pump sector.
The day started with an introduction by Robert Nuij, Head of Unit for Buildings and Products, who highlighted the need to ensure that we transition from strategies and roadmaps fostering the uptake of heat pumps to actual implementation on the ground. Robert Nuij underlined the importance of the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform in understanding the main barriers to heat pump deployment and, more importantly, identifying solutions.
After a short update on the European heat pump market by Paul Kenny, Director General of the European Heat Pump Association, the members discussed the content of the first position paper on cost reduction opportunities for heat pumps. Participants contributed actively, pointing out, among other things, the need to put more focus on unlocking flexibility, how heat pump components could be exchanged to prolong their life and on how to make the European market more competitive globally.
Afterwards, the first round of reports drafted by the Consortium of the Support Action on Heat Pumps was presented, encompassing topics such as market data, assessment of national policy frameworks, skills, competitiveness of the heat pump value chain, and research and innovation. One of the key take-aways during the discussion was the request by EU countries to have a clear mapping of heat pump installer training in different countries to enable the mutual recognition as required by the Renewable Energy Directive.
The afternoon opened with a keynote speech by Hans Martin Henning, former Head of Institute at Fraunhofer ISE, who presented an overview of the German scenario in terms of heating and cooling needs and climate-neutral solutions.
The meeting continued with a workshop held by Fraunhofer ISE defining research needs regarding the competitiveness of the heat pump value chain, particularly focusing on cost efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. The insights will directly feed into the research and development and innovation (R&D&I) roadmaps aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of the European heat pump industry.
The 4th Heat Pump Accelerator Platform meeting will take place on 27 January 2026.
The 2nd Heat Pump Accelerator Platform meeting brought together members to discuss barriers and opportunities for accelerating heat pump deployment, with a specific focus on costs.
The first session on residential heat pumps featured a panel discussion exploring cost comparisons between Germany and the UK, innovative models like social leasing, financial products to support homeowners, and the “heat pumps as a service” approach.
The second session turned to large heat pumps, with a panel examining best practice subsidies in the Netherlands, cross-industry As-a-Service models, and financing mechanisms for integrating heat pumps into district heating networks.
In the afternoon, the consortium presented progress on deliverables, including a position paper on the heat pumps costs. The deliverables focus on EU-wide heat pump deployment data, assessing national policy frameworks, training programmes, and value chain competitiveness. The final sessions mapped research and innovation needs across key application areas with the aim of establishing a joint roadmap to guide future R&I&D research, innovation and development efforts.
Participants reiterated their shared commitment to address costs and barriers, and confirmed the importance of collaboration to scale up heat pump deployment. The next meeting will take place in Autumn 2025.
The launch of the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform marks an important step in accelerating the heat pump roll-out across the EU. The first meeting brought together more than 80 participants, both in person and online, including key industry stakeholders, policymakers, and experts related to financing, training and research.
A key focus was to establish a broad understanding of the priorities to address, ensuring that efforts are directed toward the most pressing challenges, such as reducing costs, increasing consumer awareness, and improving integration within the wider energy system. With sales having dropped nearly 50% in the first half of last year, this initiative comes at a crucial moment to support the needed uptake of heat pumps.
The participants welcomed the renewed focus, emphasising the need for continued collaboration and policy support to ensure heat pumps play a central role in Europe's green transition. The discussions underscored the urgency of aligning national policies with the EU's broader decarbonisation goals, signalling the need for a stronger market uptake in the coming months.
EHPA organised a web streamed info session explaining what the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform is about and how stakeholders can take part and contribute to its implementation. See also the presentation used at the event.
Position papers and other deliverables
The Platform will draft 3 position papers on the most pressing obstacles to heat pump deployment, as identified by Platform members. The aim of these documents is to address the main barriers and provide practical recommendations to overcome them.
The first position paper will focus on cost reduction opportunities for heat pumps and is planned for early 2026.
Platform members
The Heat Pump Accelerator Platform is open to national and regional authorities, energy agencies, research institutes, civil society organisations, installers/contractors, financial institutions, educational and training institutions, utilities companies, regulators and network operators.
Its 86 members will be central to tracking market data, assessing policies, and pinpointing training and research and innovation needs. They will also support the development of a roadmap that enhances heat pump efficiency and sustainability.
Call for expression of interest
The first call for expression of interest ended in December 2024. Interested parties can still apply using the dedicated form, but applications received as of 2025 will be kept on the reserve list.
Background
The Platform was launched in January 2025 to help speed up the deployment rate of heat pumps in the EU. The initiative is co-organised by the European Heat Pump Association, the Belgian research organisation VITO, and the German research institute Fraunhofer ISE for the European Commission.