Unbroken popularity of the heat pump

28.07.2025

Source: E & M powernews

Sales of heat pumps continue to rise, according to two industry associations. The trend is increasingly moving away from gas and oil.

In the first half of 2025, heat pumps took the lead in the German heating market. According to joint market statistics from the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH) and the German Heat Pump Association (BWP), around 139,000 appliances were sold between January and June. According to a joint statement from the two associations, this is more appliances than any other heating technology.

"The official figures for oil and gas heating systems are not yet available, unlike the sales figures for heat pumps," it continues. However, manufacturer reports indicate a continuing decline in fossil heating systems and confirm the shift towards electric heat pumps, according to the association.

Sales of heat pumps increased by 55 percent compared to the same period last year - driven by an already positive first quarter with a plus of 35 percent and a significant boost in the second quarter with a plus of 75 percent.

"Homeowners now clearly prefer heat pumps," says BWP Managing Director Martin Sabel. "The majority have long since understood that heating with fossil fuels has no future. It is harmful to the climate and, in view of the global situation, is associated with high risks in terms of price and security of supply," continues Sabel.

Goal: building a stable bridge to ETS 2

With a view to the coming years, the industry is calling for reliable framework conditions, particularly with regard to subsidy policy. To ensure that the current course can be maintained, it is essential that sufficient funds are available in the German government's Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) in the coming years to secure the current funding framework beyond the new federal budget.

The aim is to build a stable bridge until 2027, when the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for Buildings and Transport (ETS 2) comes into force. This is intended to counter-finance subsidies in the long term, while at the same time the rising price of CO2 is making fossil fuel heating systems increasingly expensive to operate.

Heat pump technology is now not only seen as a key instrument in the heating transition, but also as an economic factor of strategic importance. "Heat pump manufacturers in Germany are among the technology leaders on the European market and play a strong role in global competition," emphasizes Sabel. According to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), around seven billion euros have been invested in the expansion of production capacities and the training of skilled workers across Europe.

The heat pump has thus become the central product of a medium-sized industry with around 70,000 jobs in Germany. There are also numerous employees in the specialist trade, in planning, at utilities and in the housing industry - an indication that the transformation of heating technology has also long been an employment policy issue.

Author: Stefan Sagmeister