In 2021, the Polish Association for Heat Pump Technology Development (PORT PC) published a Polish heat pump market research report. According to their findings, the number of heat pumps sold for central heating increased by 80% in 2021 over 2020, while the overall heat pump market increased by 66%. According to their analysis, the most significant improvements in heat pump sales in Poland in 2021 were accomplished in the air/water heat pump market, with 79,000 units sold, an increase of 88% over sales in 2020.
The sales of ground source heat pumps increased slightly as well; however, the number of brine/water heat pumps sold increased from 5,260 to 5,650 units, or nearly 7% more than the statistics for 2020. However, in the area of air/water heat pumps used just for the preparation of domestic hot water, the number of devices sold decreased by nearly 11%, from 8,650 to 7,700 in 2020.
According to the PORT PC report, the key element behind such significant growth in sales of air-to-water heat pumps is the higher attractiveness of solutions and favourable heating costs and the growing trust in this technology among users and installers. Investors’ interest in emission-free heating systems, as well as the comfort of service and growing environmental consciousness, has a substantial impact on demand. The higher intensity of financial support for heat pumps in Poland’s “Clean Air” program from May 2020 and the thermo-modernization relief reflects a clear increase in interest in heat pumps.
The Polish heat pump market outlook for 2022, according to the Polish heat pump association, will be another year of challenges and possibilities for the heat pump industry’s development. Further market growth may encounter a significant barrier related to the lack of qualified installers installing heat pumps. This could be a stumbling block to the market’s continued growth. The PORT PC article emphasizes, the solution used, for example, in Switzerland, maybe standardization and simplification of the assembly of the installed installations, common systems of training installers, implementation of intelligent research and development programs for producers of heat pumps in Poland and monitoring tests of operating heat pumps in residential buildings. A significant challenge is the production of cheap Polish heat pumps, and that it should be as easy as possible to install and start installations with heat pumps. Another important issue is the shortening of the supply chain and the production of heat pump components and accessories. An important issue concerning the development of the heat pump market is the need for an information campaign on the possibility of using a heat pump in existing buildings instead of a coal-fired boiler.