Heat pump sales soar in Germany as gas boiler sales drop. How does the rest of Europe compare?
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More than 28 million heat pumps have been installed across Europe, outselling traditional gas boilers in many nations.
Europeans are ditching traditional gas boilers for heat pumps, helping reduce their dependence on volatile oil and gas prices.
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The uptake of heat pumps – which transfers heat from outside air, ground or water into a home rather than generating it – had been slowing in recent years. In 2022, 2.8 million units were installed in the EU, but this dropped to 2.7 million in 2023 and 2.11 million in 2024. However, thanks to a combination of falling installation costs and subsidy schemes, the green technology has been cast back into the limelight.
According to preliminary data from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), heat pump sales grew by 10.3 per cent across 16 European countries on average in 2025. 2.62 million residential units were sold during this period, bringing the total to 28 million across the continent.
Heat pumps in Europe – ranked
Scandinavia remains the biggest market, in terms of sales compared to the population size – with more than 30 heat pumps sold per 1,000 households across three key nations as of 2025.
Norway is leading the race, with 662 heat pumps per 1,000 households, followed by Finland (548), Sweden (509), and Denmark (229).
RelatedThese typically cool nations have proven that heat pumps are still very effective during cold temperatures, a common misconception that has deterred Europeans from making the switch.
Out of the 16 European countries sampled, France comes in fifth, with 216 heat pumps per 1,000 households. Then it’s Belgium (196), Italy (184) and Switzerland (179).
Heat pumps outsell gas boilers in Germany
In Germany, heat pumps have become the best-selling heat technology, accounting for almost half (48 per cent) of all new heating systems sold in the country last year. This is a 21 per cent increase compared to last 2024, with 299,000 units sold – while the share of gas boilers also fell to 44 per cent.
“The new figures highlight how Germany can reduce its dependence on fluctuations in oil and gas prices,” says Corinna Enders of the German energy agency dena.
In Belgium, heat pump sales also rose by seven per cent to 11,000 units. Experts say the spike is down to new restrictions on fossil fuel heating and a VAT reduction on heat pumps.
The UK, which has historically had one of Europe’s worst uptakes of heat pumps, saw sales grow by 27 per cent last year to 125,000 units. The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides eligible households with a £7,500 (around €8,658) grant towards an air source or ground source heat pump, has been credited for the boom.
In contrast, heat pumps in Poland decreased last year. It comes as the Ministry of Climate and Environment says that a “wave of disinformation” on how the green technology works is hindering the modernisation of its country’s heating system.
The war on Iran is driving a heat pump boom
Fossil fuel shocks from the war on Iran are only set to further increase the uptake of heat pumps, as Europe doubles down on its transition to home-grown, clean energy.
Sales of heat pumps in the UK rose more than 50 per cent in the first three weeks of March compared to the same period the month before, according to energy firm Octopus Energy, following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Residential heat pump sales spiked by 25 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 in France, Germany and Poland on average, with 575,000 units being sold in 11 European countries from January to March this year.
According to EHPA, the overall average was brought down by Austria, whose sales dropped by 30 per cent due to “the lack of government subsidies.”
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