Many shy away from the heat pump, but it can also save the German economy, claims the European Heat Pump Association. Here are his arguments.
Chiara Maria Leister
A heat pump on a residential building.dpa / Silas stone
The heat pumps: For some, they have become a nightmare because the amendment to the existing building energy law would mean high investment costs for the owner when replacing the heating system.
But it depends on the perspective, says the European Heat Pump Association (European Heat Pump Association, or EHPA) and claims that the device could even save Europe. Combating energy poverty, reducing gas imports and bills, promoting jobs, health and gross domestic product (GDP): According to the association and the European Climate Foundation (ECF), all of this is possible with a rapid introduction of heat pumps in Europe. They refer to the study by the economic consulting firm Cambridge Econometrics.
Energy transition with heat pumps: This could reduce heating costs
Specifically, the research results show that between 2022 and 2030, gas demand in Europe can be reduced by 40 percent: But only if we also achieve the EU target of 60 million installed heat pumps by 2030.
But what could be even more interesting for households: the cost factor. But what does that mean in concrete terms? According to the estimate, the heating costs of European households would fall by 20 percent by 2030 compared to the current level. In addition, heat pumps are around 30 percent cheaper than gas boilers over their service life of around 20 years.
In their calculation, the researchers assume a “business as usual” situation, i.e. if the prices for oil, natural gas and electricity will tend to rise in the future and the electricity price will tend to fall with the increasing share of renewable energies.
Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economic Affairs makes a similar argument when it calculates annual savings of around eleven billion euros in heating costs, which would become apparent after the heat pump has been in operation for 18 years or more. And yet a new heating system for fossil fuels is installed every eight seconds in the EU, the heat pump association complains.
EU target for heat pumps: This is what Germany expects
According to the study, the switch to heat pumps is also boosting the German economy. However, the balance sheet for the country is somewhat different than the EU average.
This is what Germany expects if it meets the EU’s heat pump target by 2030:
- 13 percent reduction in heating costs;
- Reduction of gas consumption in buildings by 40 percent;
- Reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions by 44 and 33 percent respectively;
- over a million net jobs added;
- GDP growth of more than 4 percent;
- Savings of 26 billion euros in energy imports;
- 5 percent more disposable household income.
In order to achieve this goal, the European Commission, like the German Economics Minister Robert Habeck, wants to ban new gas and oil heating systems with a sales ban. Accordingly, new boilers for fossil fuels should no longer be available from September 2029. The proposal is currently being discussed.
But there must also be support from the authorities for the heating transition, suggests the head of the sustainability team at the European Consumer Organization (BEUC), Dimitri Vergne. They must help consumers overcome the high initial costs and hurdles of finding an approved and trusted installer and better insulate their homes, he suggests in the Heat Pumps Association report.
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