Heat pump sales in Germany rise 55%, but still fall short of targets

Heat pump sales in Germany have recovered after last year, when they halved, and rose by 55% year on year in the first half of this year. However, according to the German heating industry association BDH, sales are still too low for Germany to meet its targets. Clean Energy Wire reported.

Nearly 140,000 heat pumps were sold in Germany between January and June this year, up 55% year on year. Sales of gas boilers fell by 41% over the same period to 132,500 units. Sales of oil-fired boilers fell by as much as 80% to 10,500 units.

Although the year-on-year sales trend may appear positive from the perspective of decarbonising the heating sector, the BDH warns that projected heat pump sales for 2025 as a whole are not even half the 500,000-unit target set by the previous German government. Association head Markus Staudt is therefore urging the new government coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz to address the situation.

"We need clarity on the Building Energy Act as soon as possible," Staudt said, adding that the government should not wait for the forthcoming European legislation in this area, which is due to be published in 2026.

The association said consumers need clarity about the future of carbon pricing in the heating sector and municipalities’ expected plans for decarbonising heating.

Clean Energy Wire noted that Merz’s CDU proposed repealing the existing Building Energy Act, introduced by the previous German government, during its election campaign. However, Germany’s new economy minister, Katherina Reiche (CDU), has not yet announced any specific plans in this area.

Germany’s Building Energy Act, sometimes called the Heating Act, requires heating systems installed in new buildings in newly developed residential areas to use at least 65% energy from renewable sources. For a transitional period, new buildings outside these areas may still install conventional heating systems. From 2045, it will no longer be possible to operate fossil fuel boilers.