2026 EU heat-pump price vs efficiency: how R290 and R32 compare by brand

R290 vs R32 in the 2026 EU market: how common each refrigerant is

The current EPREL snapshot behind Househeating Pulse contains 60,989 heat-pump listings from 777 manufacturers (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Within that stock, R32 is still the mass-market refrigerant by volume: 13,935 listed models use R32, equal to 22.85% of all listed heat pumps (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). By contrast, 537 listed models use R290, equal to 0.88% of all listed heat pumps (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).

That means R32 appears in about 26 times as many listings as R290 in the current registry snapshot: 13,935 versus 537 models (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Readers can inspect both segments directly in the live R32 catalog and R290 catalog, or step back to the full EPREL catalog and the running market index.

R290 also remains smaller than the broader “natural refrigerant” bucket. Natural refrigerants account for 3.27% of all listings overall (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API), while declared R290 alone accounts for 0.88% (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). That gap matters because the natural category includes other codes in the reference table such as R600a and R744, not only propane (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes).

The refrigerant reference also explains why buyers increasingly compare these two codes directly. R290 is propane, classed as a natural HC refrigerant with GWP 0 and A3 flammability (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). R32 is difluoromethane, an HFC with GWP 771, A2L flammability, and a listed phase-out date of 2027-01-01 in the reference table (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). For the regulatory text itself, see EU Regulation 2024/573 and the public EPREL portal.

Price and efficiency: the overall trade-off between R290 and R32

The central buyer question here is price versus efficiency. On efficiency, the corpus does not provide refrigerant-level average SCOP values for R290 and R32, nor any list-price or list-price proxy for either refrigerant. The registry excerpt supplied here therefore does not allow a numeric answer to these two headline questions:

• how much higher the average list-price proxy for R290 models is than for R32 models;
• which refrigerant has the higher average SCOP overall, and by how much.

That absence is important to state plainly. The current corpus includes overall market-average SCOP of 4.55 across all models (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API), but it does not break that figure down by refrigerant. It also contains no model-level or refrigerant-level price field at all.

What can be said is narrower. The market still skews overwhelmingly toward non-R290 product. R32 alone covers 22.85% of all listings, while R290 covers 0.88% (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). So even before price is considered, buyers comparing propane and R32 are choosing between a niche segment and a mainstream one. That matters for installer familiarity, spare parts, and product breadth, even if the supplied registry cut does not quantify those factors.

The larger market context is also useful. Air-water units make up 30,452 listings, or 49.93% of the total market, and air-air units another 21,065, or 34.54% (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Because no refrigerant-by-type matrix is included here, the registry does not record in this corpus whether R290 is more concentrated in air-to-water heat pumps than in air-to-air heat pumps, though that is a common market hypothesis.

Which brands lead on R290 value and which lead on R32 value

This is the section where buyers would normally expect rankings by low price, high SCOP, or SCOP-per-price. The supplied corpus does not support that. There are no model-level prices, no refrigerant-specific brand averages, and both top_models probes for R290 and R32 returned empty datasets (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

So the registry excerpt cannot identify, with numbers, which brands pair the lowest price with the highest SCOP inside R290, or which do the same inside R32. It also cannot rank best value-for-money models by SCOP per implied price tier, because neither price tiers nor populated top-model tables are present.

What the corpus does show is the competitive backdrop in which those brand comparisons sit. The largest manufacturer in the entire registry is Daikin Europe N.V. with 14,668 models and 24.05% share, at an average SCOP of 4.44 across its full listed range (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). It is followed by Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. with 5,575 models and 9.14% share, average SCOP 4.51 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), and JOHNSON CONTROLS HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING EUROPE SAS, SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA with 5,207 models and 8.54% share, average SCOP 4.18 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

Among other major brands, Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH stands out with 3,602 models, 5.91% share, and an average SCOP of 4.69, which is above the all-market average of 4.55 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation; market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Ariston SpA also sits above market average at 4.66 across 2,618 models and 4.29% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation; market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Buyers can compare the full manufacturer field in the brand directory and the rolling leaderboards hub.

Efficiency outliers: the models punching above their price tier

The corpus does not provide enough data to name efficiency outliers within a price tier. Specifically:

• no price or price-proxy field is supplied;
• the R290 top-model query returned no rows (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog);
• the R32 top-model query returned no rows (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

For the same reason, the efficiency spread inside each refrigerant group among top listed models cannot be quantified from this dataset. There is no SCOP ranking list by refrigerant in the corpus, and therefore no basis to measure the gap between the highest and lowest top-listed R290 models or the equivalent R32 spread.

If readers want to monitor when those populated leaderboards are available, the closest live navigation points are the overall top SCOP leaderboard, the air-to-water SCOP leaderboard, and the newest registrations feed. But for this article’s strict evidence standard, no model-level outlier claim can be made from the supplied JSON alone.

Brand positioning: who is pushing R290 hardest, and with what efficiency profile

Again, this is partly answerable and partly not. The corpus does provide brand-level market share and whole-portfolio average SCOP, but it does not provide brand-level refrigerant mix. So the registry excerpt cannot say which brands have the largest R290 mix, nor whether those brands are above or below the market average specifically in their R290 lines.

What can be measured is which large brands operate with above- or below-market SCOP across their total listed portfolios. The all-market average SCOP is 4.55 (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Against that benchmark:

(brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation; market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API)

This table does not identify “R290-first” manufacturers, but it does show where efficient broad portfolios are concentrated. Bosch at 4.69, Ariston at 4.66, Gree at 4.65, Ferroli at 4.64, and Riello at 4.60 all sit above the market average on whole-range SCOP, although only Bosch and Ariston appear among the larger-volume names in the top tier by share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation; market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).

What buyers should take from the rankings: where the premium is justified and where it is not

The evidence here is less about price premiums than about market structure. Three practical points follow directly from the registry snapshot.

First, R290 remains a small part of the EU-listed market. At 537 models and 0.88% share, it is still a niche compared with R32 at 13,935 models and 22.85% share (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Buyers looking for broad choice, especially across many brands, will usually find more options in the R32 listings than in the R290 listings.

Second, the supplied registry cut does not prove that R290 carries a price premium, a SCOP premium, or better value for money. Those are plausible market claims, but they are not evidenced in this corpus because no refrigerant-level prices, no refrigerant-level average SCOPs, and no populated model rankings are present. Where buyers need a purchase decision today, the practical next step is to compare actual listed units in the catalog, then run scenario economics through the payback calculator and confirm system fit with the sizing calculator.

Third, if a buyer is using brand reputation as a rough screening tool, the whole-portfolio SCOP averages point toward several efficiency-strong manufacturers. Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH posts 4.69, Ariston SpA 4.66, Gree Spain Corporation SL 4.65, and FERROLI S.p.A. 4.64, all above the market average of 4.55 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation; market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). That does not tell a buyer which specific R290 or R32 model is best value, but it does narrow where closer inspection may be worthwhile.

For refrigerant choice, the most defensible summary from this dataset is simple: R32 is still the mainstream option by count, while R290 is still a narrow slice of the registry, despite the wider policy and GWP case for propane-based systems (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API; refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). Buyers comparing the two should therefore treat “R290 premium” claims carefully unless they are backed by model-level evidence. This particular corpus does not supply that evidence.

Sources

• Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API — snapshot 2026-06-09
• IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes — snapshot 2026-06-09
• EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog — snapshot 2026-06-09
• EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation — snapshot 2026-06-09

Continue reading

• Heat pump payback calculator — Compare running-cost savings against installed cost assumptions.
• Heat pump sizing basics — A practical starting point before comparing SCOP or refrigerants.
• How to read EPREL heat-pump listings — Make sense of SCOP, classes, refrigerants and declared specs.
• R290 vs R32 explained — The safety, regulatory and performance context behind the two main buyer options.