“In the first six months of 2026, sales of residential heat pumps rose by 11% in 12 European countries*, new figures from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) reveal. Around 1,163,000 were sold – up from 1,048,000 in the first half of 2025.”
Post-Hormuz heat pump sales climb 11%ehpa.orgAround 1,163,000 residential heat pumps in six months, up 11%. Look at what EHPA itself names as the likely drivers: the gas price shock after Hormuz, and a push to cut taxes on electricity. Not a new subsidy. The running cost.
“For now, EHPA findings show taxes on electricity are frequently higher than on gas, making it cost several times more.”
Post-Hormuz heat pump sales climb 11%· ehpa.orgThis sentence is the whole fight. Tax the fuel you’re leaving, not the one you want.
“It is proposing a revision of the network charges consumers pay on their power bills to reward flexible options like heat pumps.”
Post-Hormuz heat pump sales climb 11%· ehpa.orgThe grid-planner line, tucked into paragraph five. Network charges are where my job lives. A heat pump that can move its load away from the peak hour is cheaper to serve than one that can’t, and the tariff should say so. The catch for a cold northern grid is that once enough heating is electric, the peak moves to winter and the heat pump becomes the peak. That’s exactly why rewarding flexibility now is the right instinct.
