The Heat Pump Accelerator Platform

6^th Heat Pump Accelerator Meeting

As part of its work to identify practical solutions for faster and more competitive heat pump deployment, the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform, together with the European Heat Pump Association, organised the policy session “Driving down costs: opportunities for competitive heat pump deployment” during the European Sustainable Energy Week on 10 June 2026. The session brought together representatives from the European Commission, research organisations, energy suppliers, industry and consumer services to examine how both the upfront and operating costs of heat pumps can be reduced.

The discussion highlighted the electricity-to-gas price ratio as a key factor influencing the business case for heat pumps. Panellists identified more competitive electricity prices, smart tariffs, greater energy-system flexibility and stable, predictable support schemes as important measures for improving affordability. The successful implementation of ETS2 was also highlighted as a potential driver of the transition away from fossil-fuel heating.

The session also showed that reducing costs must go hand in hand with improving the consumer journey. Consumers can face difficulties in understanding available technologies, finding trusted installers and comparing offers. Greater price transparency, accessible digital tools, innovative business models and a simpler purchasing process were therefore identified as essential for strengthening consumer confidence and accelerating uptake.

The discussion contributed to the Platform’s work by providing practical examples and policy recommendations that can support the implementation of EU initiatives, such as the Electrification Action Plan and the Affordable Energy Action Plan. It underlined the need for coordinated action by EU institutions, national authorities, industry and energy-market actors to make heat pumps a more affordable and competitive heating solution across Europe.

The 5th meeting of the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform brought together over 80 members to discuss the current energy crisis, AccelerateEU, and the latest developments in the heat pump market and policy across Europe, with a focus on EU countries’ best practices.

Robert Nuij from DG ENER underlined the active role of the platform in driving heat pump deployment. He stressed that, for the first time, AccelerateEU places electrification at the centre of the debate as a geopolitical and economic necessity, with heat pumps as a cornerstone. He described AccelerateEU as a toolbox of actions that EU countries can already take. In June, the electrification action plan is expected, including measures on heating and cooling, grids, and investment.

The European Heat Pump Association presented the latest market data. Around 28 million heat pumps are installed in Europe (stock), including 26 million in the EU, while around 100 million homes are still heated with fossil fuel boilers. This shows the scale of the opportunity for further deployment. Market developments vary across countries, with some markets growing and others still facing challenges. Overall, heat pump sales in Q1 2026 increased by 17% compared to Q1 2025. Key drivers include stable policy frameworks, financial support, favourable energy prices, replacement demand, and consumer confidence.

The meeting then focused on national developments. Valérie Laplagne from Uniclima and AFPAC presented the French context, where the market has declined but is showing signs of recovery in 2026. She introduced CEPAC, the newly established French heat pump expertise centre, which aims to support the building sector through information, regional engagement, technical expertise, tools, webinars, and training. She also referred to the French Electrification Action Plan.

Maria Niewitała-Rej from the Reform Institute presented the situation in Poland, where the market is stabilising after challenges linked to the Clean Air subsidy programme. She highlighted the impact of disinformation campaigns and stressed the need for stable subsidies, a national heat pump strategy, predictable energy prices, certified installers, positive examples, and a nationwide information campaign.

Randall Hanegraaf Riedl from RVO presented the Dutch heat pump strategy, including hybrid heat pumps, the important role of municipal heat plans, and efforts to tackle grid congestion, for example by analysing the actual peak power and discussions with DSOs.

Martin Sabel from BWP presented recent developments in Germany, including the changes to the Building Energy Act, which removes the obligation to use at least 65% renewable energy in heating. He noted that this opens the door again for gas and oil solutions with climate-friendly fuels.

The meeting concluded with an interview with Madeleine Gabriel from Nesta on misinformation and consumer trust. She highlighted initiatives such as “Visit a heat pump”, support for installers, consumer satisfaction data, and innovative business models. She stressed that improving the economics, especially the electricity-to-gas price ratio, remains essential to accelerate uptake.

Overall, the meeting brought up a range of best practices, lessons learned, studies, and surveys, for which the platform will facilitate the exchange between EU countries and stakeholders.

The 4th meeting of the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform brought together over 50 members to discuss research and innovation for the sector, the continuity options for the platform, and ways of strengthening consumer engagement.

During the morning session, Fraunhofer presented the methodology to identify the research and innovation priorities for heat pump deployment. Platform members agreed on a classification of bottlenecks across four main pillars: market uptake, improvement of cost competitiveness, system integration, and optimisation of environmental impact, and provided feedback on these research and innovation priority areas.

The European Heat Pump Association shared updates on ongoing work to assess heat pump market data, national policies, training programmes and competitiveness of the value chains, while VITO highlighted their progress on analysing research and innovation results across EU countries.  Participants discussed the future of the platform and its overall added value, in particular the position papers, cross-sectoral exchanges, presentation of case studies, and best practices from different EU countries.

The afternoon session focused on the next platform position paper addressing the heat pump consumer journey and awareness. Participants were presented with the main outcomes of the first meeting of the Consumer Journey and Awareness Task Force, followed by five case study presentations on residential heat pump consumers, district heating systems, and industrial heat pump end users.

The session featured a series of case studies highlighting consumer engagement in the energy transition, with contributions from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), Warmtetransitiemakers, Ohne Hände Keine Wende (OHKW), the Hamburg Institute, and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI). 

Overall, the discussions emphasized that effective implementation and the sharing of best practices across EU countries and stakeholder groups are key to accelerating market uptake. These core messages were also highlighted by Robert Nuij, Head of Unit at DG ENER, during the afternoon session.

The 5^th meeting of the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform will take place on 7 May 2026 in Brussels and online.

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.