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19 European Heating Industry Statistics, Trends & Analysis

The European heating Industry is designed to bring leading companies who are producing efficient heating systems for modern homes. This industry helps to develop solutions that fit every budget and need, creating products such as heat pumps, fuel cells, boilers, and solar thermal systems.

Heating systems throughout Europe are heavily influenced by regional needs. In some countries, the primary heating system is through local boilers that use natural gas as the primary fuel. Others use district heating systems. In the warmer regions, space heating tends to be the most popular option.

That creates a network of different needs that the industry must fulfill for its customers that is complex and requires the effort of many organizations to achieve balance.

The Association of the European Heat Industry was founded in June 2002 when the European Boiler Association, the European Burner Committee, and the Association of European Manufacturers of Instantaneous Gas Water Heaters and Boilers was founded. The history of these associations dates to the 1960s.

Important European Heating Industry Statistics

#1. The European heating industry currently employs more than 120,000 people throughout the continent. More than €700 million in investments are made each year to improve the energy efficiency of created products. (Association of the European Heating Industry)

#2. In 2013, Europe was 11% of the global water heating market. That figure is consistent with the demands seen in North America. China and Brazil, each with a 28% share of the water heating market, lead the way in consuming a total of 98.6 million units. (International Energy Association)

#3. 44% of the water heating market is composed of electrical storage. Another 34% of the market creates heat through combination boilers. Only 16% of the total market uses instantaneous products. (International Energy Association)

#4. 92% of domestic gas and oil boiler sales in 2017 were for condensing boilers. In 2012, just 70% of the boilers sold were condensing boilers. This is a purely European trend. In 2017, just 15% of boiler sales were condensing boilers outside of Europe. (International Energy Association)

#5. Germany led Europe in the sale of small cogeneration fuel cells in 2013, with 8,700 sold. This was an increase of 20% over the year before. Only Japan saw more units sold, at 9,900, than Germany in 2013. (International Energy Association)

#6. The Association of the European Heating Industry represents 90% of the market in Europe for hot water and heat generation. They are also responsible for 75% of the hydronic heat pump market. (Association of the European Heating Industry)

#7. Solar thermal sales dropped by 6.4% in 2013. The largest drops came from the photovoltaic segment, which saw a 23% decrease. At the same time, heat pumps saw a 2% decrease in sales, while the sale of gas or oil boilers declined by 4%. (European Solar Thermal Industry Federation)

#8. Even though there was a decrease in sales for the heating industry in 2013, there was a 7.7% increase in total installed capacity. (European Solar Thermal Industry Federation)

#9. Germany represents about 40% of the total installed capacity for solar thermal heating in Europe. In 2012, the market saw an 11% increase in total capacity over the year before, even though it saw a 9.4% decrease in overall sales. (European Solar Thermal Industry Federation)

#10. There is a total of 9.5 million heat pump units currently installed throughout Europe as of 2016. About 988,000 of these units were installed in 2016, which was an 11% increase over the installations performed the year before. (International Energy Association)

#11. Air/air heat pumps are the most common type sold in Europe, with air/water heat pumps, then ground-source heat pumps. Fewer than 100,000 ground-source heat pumps were sold in 2016. (European Heat Pump Association)

#12. Sanitary hot water sales reached a total of 125,000 units for the first time in history in 2016. In 2007, just 14,000 of these units were sold in Europe. (European Heat Pump Association)

#13. France is the largest market for heat pumps, accounting for 220,000 of the total units sold in Europe. Italy came in second, with 181,000 units sold. (European Heat Pump Association)

#14. In terms of per capita sales of heat pumps per 1,000 households, Norway is the top market in Europe. There are 33.2 sales per 1,000 households in Norway. (European Heat Pump Association)

#15. Heat pumps provide about 54,000 jobs in Europe. 54% of those jobs are within the manufacturing segment of the industry. Another 30% of employment opportunities come through heat pump installation orders. (European Heat Pump Association)

#16. In 2016, there were 9.3 million heat pumps installed and 6.5 million boilers installed. (European Heat Pump Association)

#17. 51% of the energy demand found in Europe comes from heating and cooling needs. Space heating is the largest segment of this energy consumption with a 26% share. (European Heat Pump Association)

#18. The residential boiler market is expected to exceed an annual installation of 10 million units by the year 2024. This forecast, if achieved, would create a market for the European heating industry valued at $6 billion. (Global Market Insights)

#19. The industrial boiler industry represents 10% of the overall B2B sales achieved by the heating industry in Europe each year. (Global Market Insights)

European Heating Industry Trends and Analysis

Heating industries around the world are in a state of transition right now. There is still a push to use traditional heating types, such as boilers and heat pumps, to create comfortable indoor environments. There is a simultaneous push to use more renewable heating resources, such as solar thermal products, to create more of an environmentally-friendly industry.

As heating products become more efficient and last longer, sales figures will likely continue to decline in the foreseeable future. At the same time, the trend for increases in installed capacity will continue. That means the greatest potential for growth in Europe comes from new construction.

Many European nations have targets set for 2020, 2025, and 2030 for bring the heating industry away from fossil fuels. Britain has set a target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. Germany has set goals to raise energy efficiency levels by 20% while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by the end of 2020.

There will still be many challenges to face within the European heating industry, even though demand levels will still be present. Growth in revenues may be difficult. Growth in consumer satisfaction, however, will most likely continue to rise.

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