Poland Electric Power
Sales of heat pumps will accelerate the electrification and decarbonization of district heating. Approximately 92,600 heat pumps were sold in Poland in 2021, a 66% increase over to the previous year.
The “REPowerEU” strategy presented on 8 March, which envisions the EU becoming independent from Russian fossil fuels, assumes that the EU countries will install 10 million heat pumps by 2030 (currently, 2 million are in use in the EU). These devices are powered by electricity and transfer thermal energy between the inside and outside of the buildings in order to heat or cool them (or water).
The most popular types of these devices are the air heat pump (which transfers heat from the outside), which accounts for over 90 per cent of sales in Poland, and the brine-water heat pump (which draws energy from the ground). Heat pumps are a greener alternative for individual heating than solid fuel or gas-fired furnaces because they can use the energy produced from renewable energy sources, for instance, photovoltaic panels.
Heat pump sales in Poland are rapidly growing. According to the Polish Organization for the Development of Heat Pump Technology (PORT PC), approximately 92,600 heat pumps were sold in Poland in 2021, an increase of 66% compared to the previous year. Since 2017, the number of heat pump installations sold annually has quadrupled. Currently, more than 300,000 households use heat pumps in Poland.
The growing interest in heat pumps is related to the dynamic development of home RES micro-installations. At the end of February 2022, their capacity increased to 6.5 GW, an increase of 114 % compared to 2020. Poles who put photovoltaic panels on the roofs of their houses are more likely to buy electric-powered heat pumps, despite the high cost of the investment - the average installation costs an average of $4500 - 7000. However, with the high prices of electricity and natural gas, the investment in the installation of heat pumps and photovoltaic panels would return faster.
The government supports the electrification of heating. In April, recruitment for the new program “My Heat” will start with a budget of $140 million and is financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. My Heat will make the acquisition of heat pumps more appealing and would also make it possible for participants to receive a non-returnable subsidy of 30-45% of the investment’s eligible costs, which is expected to be between $1600 – 4900 depending on the equipment purchased. So far, recipients have been able to participate in programs such as the “Clean Air” coal-fired furnace replacement program (between September 2019 and February 2021, around 18 per cent of those interested in it chose heat pumps) and the thermo-insulation relief, but not from the program devoted solely to investments in heat pumps.
Poland’s annual heat pump market is worth around $500 million and is dominated by foreign suppliers, including Germany, Sweden, and Japan. Viessmann, a German company produces heat pumps in Legnica, Biwar, owned by the Swedish group NIBE, produces heat pumps in Bialystok and Japanese company, Toshiba has partnered with American producer, Carrier Corporation, to build pump components in Gniezno. Poland’s domestic production is responsible for around 5-7% of the heat pumps sold in Poland.
For more information, please contact Commercial Service Poland at office.warsaw@trade.gov.