Ground-source heat pump barometer

In Europe the ground-source heat pump market contracted for the second year running by 2.9% between 2009 and 2010. Around 103.000 units were sold in 2010, taking the number of installed units over one million. The 3 European countries with the most sales are Sweden (31953 units, +16%), Germany (25516 units, -13%) and France (12250 units, -21%). The drop in sales is generally due to market contraction on the current recession but some specificities exist: for instance the insufficient training of the installers has led to under-performance and to a bad image of this energy in France. The Swedish and German manufacturers are in a very strong position and are increasing their market share in the main European markets. (A.C.)