Dutch Heat Pump Association reports surge in residential installations in 2022

The Netherlands installed 110,000 residential heat pumps in 2022, up 57% from 2021, the DHPA said in a recently published statement.

The Dutch government will ban the sale of standalone central heating boilers from 2026, with all households required to install hybrid heat pumps using the heat from boilers as a secondary heat source. In 2022, the Hybrid Heat Pump Action Plan resulted in a 130% surge in sales for such heat pump technologies.

The number of installed air-water heat pumps increased by 100% to 73,000 in 2022. Of these, at least 23,000 were hybrid models, according to the DHPA.

“The fact that the growth rate of hybrid heat pumps is probably even higher than the number measured is because models of air-water heat pumps have also been installed that can run as both all-electric and hybrid, but are not registered as hybrid,” said DHPA Chairman Frank Agterberg.

To accompany the technology’s growth, “the sector is investing heavily in production lines, import capacity, and stocks,” says Agterberg. “At the same time, we are working with Techniek Nederland on the installation capacity. For example, we are setting up a national training program with suppliers and installers,” he added.

Last year’s remarkable growth in the Dutch residential heat pump market was mostly concentrated in wealthy households. “Making the less wealthy households gas-free is now the challenge,” said Agterberg.

This year, the association also wants to focus on expanding the photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) heat pump market.

“We do not yet have concrete figures for this [source], but you can notice that it is growing rapidly,” Agterberg said.