The 9th European Heat Pump Summit, held in Nuremberg once again, proved to be a key meeting point for innovation and collaboration in the heat pump sector. With over 400 participants from industry and research, the two-day event showcased cutting-edge technologies, market insights, and policy developments shaping the future of sustainable heating. From ambitious EU targets and evolving regulations to breakthroughs in refrigerant safety and high-temperature applications, the summit highlighted both opportunities and challenges ahead. Results from several of the HPT TCP collaboration projects were shared during the summit.
On October 28, Dr. Rainer Jacobs opened the 9th European Heat Pump Summit, which is organized every second year in Nuremberg. The event brings together actors working in the field of heat pumping technologies from both industry and the research community. This year, over 400 participants attended the event. During the two days, the audience could follow presentations about market development, research findings, emerging technologies, and applications. Some of the main takeaways are summarized below.
Market Trends & Policy
The European heat pump market is experiencing both growth and challenges. While market share is increasing, it remains below the EU’s ambitious target of 60 million heat pumps by 2030. Key barriers include high electricity-to-gas price ratios and inconsistent and ambivalent policies across member states. Clear, supportive EU policy, such as the Affordable Energy Action Plan and Clean Industrial Deal, is essential for further market uptake and decarbonising the heating sector. From the Netherlands, it was reported that there is strong potential for all-electric heat pumps; however, public awareness remains low. Compact, quiet designs are needed for widespread adoption. Flexible operation will become a necessity due to challenges related to grid constraints, and installation processes must be streamlined. In Germany, the market is at a turning point, with heat pump sales surpassing those of fossil boilers. Continued growth depends on reliable funding, lower electricity prices, and supportive building codes. Consumers are increasingly favouring heat pumps, but a stable regulatory framework is crucial for sustained investment.
Research & Innovation
Caroline Haglund Stignor from the Heat Pump Centre presented an overview of the activities within the Technology Collaboration Programme on Heat Pumping Technologies (HPT TCP) and shared some highlights from ongoing HPT Projects. During the two days, several presentations were given from HPT Project 64 Safety Measures for Flammable Refrigerants, HPT Project 61 Heat Pumps for PEDs, and HPT Project 68 High Temperature Heat Pumps. It is worth noting that the research areas of the presented HPT projects are highly relevant to the industry, as many presentations from company representatives addressed similar topics.
Technology & Safety
Advances in the use of low-GWP refrigerants (e.g., R-474A, R-290) and safety standards are enabling reduced climatic impact and higher-temperature applications. From Project 64, it was reported that possible causes of leakages in plate heat exchangers include the importance of having good filters that can capture dirt, thereby hindering blocking and fouling. In addition, a new method, recently developed, for determining the refrigerant charge of a residential heat pump in real-time was presented. It was also reported from an evaluation of odorants in refrigerant R-290 (propane) to improve leak detection, where it had been found that the odorant had no significant impact on the performance of the system.
It was clear that leak detection, noise reduction, and vibration minimisation are active areas of innovation for the heat pump sector. Real-time refrigerant charge monitoring and improved gas detection technologies are being developed to enhance safety and performance. The integration of high-speed motors, magnetic bearings, and advanced heat exchangers is enhancing efficiency and reliability, particularly in industrial and high-temperature applications. There were several presentations about compressors and heat pumps adapted for high temperature applications and low GWP refrigerants available on the market.
Positive Energy Districts (PED) & Thermal Networks
There were several presentations from both researchers and companies related to heat pumps in urban energy systems, primarily focusing on how to optimize the planning of large-scale heat pumps for decarbonizing district heating networks, using different simulation tools. Moreover, several suppliers represented at the summit informed attendees about technologies and system solutions suitable for thermal networks that are currently available on the market. From project 61, it was reported that for a multifamily building, it is very challenging to reach a positive energy balance over the year. However, PED should be considered to be a vision aiming at supporting the energy transition of cities. From studies performed within the project, it has been shown that when PED solutions with decentralized heat pumps are compared to a solution with one central heat pump, the decentralized solution very often outperforms the central one, both from an energy consumption and cost perspective.
The event was concluded by Dr. Rainer Jacobs asking the audience to save the date for the next European Heat Pump Summit, which will take place on 26-27October 2027.
The Heat Pump Centre had a booth at the exhibition, informing about the activities within HPT TCP and promoting the upcoming IEA Heat Pump Conference, which will take place in Vienna from May 26-29, 2026
