2026 heat-pump brand share in Bulgaria: what EPREL shows

Bulgaria’s EPREL heat-pump market in one chart: who sells the most models

Bulgaria’s visible heat-pump offer in EPREL is broad in absolute terms, but the brand mix is concentrated at the top. Across all listed heat-pump models associated with Bulgaria, EPREL shows 60,989 models in total (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

The leading suppliers account for a large slice of that registry. The top 10 brands together represent 61.88% of listed models when their individual shares are summed from the ranking below (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). The top three alone account for 41.73% of listings (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

For readers tracking the market live, the full EPREL catalog, the broader manufacturer index, and the platform’s leaderboard hub are the easiest way to inspect how these listings are distributed.

Which brands dominate, and how efficient are they?

The first point is straightforward: Daikin Europe N.V. dominates Bulgaria’s EPREL listings with 14,668 models and 24.05% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). That is well ahead of Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. at 5,575 models and 9.14% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), and JOHNSON CONTROLS HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING EUROPE SAS, SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA at 5,207 models and 8.54% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

On declared seasonal efficiency, the strongest average SCOP among the top brands belongs to Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH at 4.69 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), followed by Ariston SpA at 4.66 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), and Vaillant GmbH at 4.54 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). The weakest average SCOP in the top 10 is for JOHNSON CONTROLS HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING EUROPE SAS, SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA at 4.18 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

That leaves a top-brand SCOP spread of 0.51 points, from 4.69 to 4.18 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). In other words, Bulgaria’s leading brands differ more in catalog breadth than in average declared efficiency.

Two caveats matter. First, EPREL counts models, not installed units or sales, so the registry shows offer breadth rather than market share in shipments. Second, the registry does not record Bulgaria-specific sales volumes by manufacturer. For that reason, Househeating Pulse methodology notes and the official EPREL database should be read as product-registration evidence, not sell-through evidence.

Refrigerants in Bulgaria: R32 versus R290 and the rest

The refrigerant picture is materially less diverse than the brand table. Declared refrigerant usage is heavily concentrated in R32, with 13,935 declared entries (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). The next two clearly visible refrigerants are R410A at 1,896 declared entries and R290 at 537 declared entries (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes).

Using the declared-usage totals in the corpus, the top refrigerants break down as follows:

The same data also shows how dependent Bulgaria still is on higher-GWP fluorinated gases. R32 carries a GWP of 771 and R410A a GWP of 1,924, while R290 is listed at GWP 0 in the reference table (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). Combining the declared entries for R32 and the R410A variants visible in the corpus gives a higher-GWP share of 96.52% of declared entries, versus 3.27% for R290 variants combined (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes).

That is the strongest single message in the Bulgaria dataset: the catalog remains overwhelmingly HFC-led. Readers comparing options can inspect the refrigerants reference and browse live R290 heat pumps against R32 heat pumps.

The corpus does not provide an overall EU refrigerant mix benchmark, so the registry here cannot support a numeric Bulgaria-versus-EU refrigerant share comparison.

What model types are most common, and which ones are most efficient?

By count, Bulgaria’s listed heat pumps are dominated by air-water models, with 30,452 models (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). Next come air-air models at 21,065 models and heat-pump water heaters at 9,228 models (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). Ground-source and water-source categories are much smaller: ground-water models number 213, while water-water models number 31 (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation).

On efficiency, water-water leads with average SCOP 6.15 (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation), ahead of ground-water at 4.77 and air-water at 4.54 (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). It is also the quietest listed type on average at 42.0 dB outdoor noise (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation), though only 31 models appear in that category (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). For mainstream availability, air-water heat pumps are the center of gravity.

The corpus does not include a ranked list of Bulgaria’s individual top-efficiency models with refrigerant and noise combinations, so it cannot support a model-level “most efficient listings” table. For that, the live top SCOP leaderboard, air-water SCOP leaderboard, ground-source SCOP leaderboard, and quietest models list are the relevant internal references.

Do Bulgarian electricity prices make heat pumps competitive with gas?

For running costs, the key number is Bulgaria’s electricity-to-gas tariff ratio. The country profile shows household electricity at €0.1355/kWh and gas at €0.0648/kWh (country_profile / Eurostat tariffs (band DC/D2 latest); NASA POWER 30y normal; EEA grid CO₂; subsidies captured manually from official programme pages). That gives an electricity-to-gas ratio of 2.09 (country_profile / Eurostat tariffs (band DC/D2 latest); NASA POWER 30y normal; EEA grid CO₂; subsidies captured manually from official programme pages).

Against the stated break-even reference of about 3.7, Bulgaria sits well below that threshold. On tariffs alone, that indicates a favourable environment for heat-pump running costs relative to gas, provided real-world seasonal performance is decent.

The climate context is not extreme. Bulgaria is tagged as an average climate zone with 3,250.24 heating degree days and a mean January temperature of -2.27°C (country_profile / Eurostat tariffs (band DC/D2 latest); NASA POWER 30y normal; EEA grid CO₂; subsidies captured manually from official programme pages). Those conditions matter when using our payback calculator, sizing calculator, and climate-fit tool.

One less encouraging line in the same profile is support policy: the country page shows no active subsidies captured and an empty subsidy list for Bulgaria (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register; country_profile / Eurostat tariffs (band DC/D2 latest); NASA POWER 30y normal; EEA grid CO₂; subsidies captured manually from official programme pages). Readers can verify that on the Bulgaria country profile and the subsidy index.

How Bulgaria compares with nearby Central and Eastern European markets

As a short benchmark against nearby markets, Bulgaria’s tariff ratio is relatively favourable. Using the country-comparison dataset, the electricity-to-gas ratios are:

• Bulgaria: 2.09 from €0.1355/kWh electricity and €0.0648/kWh gas (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Hungary: 3.23 from €0.1082/kWh and €0.0335/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Slovakia: 3.05 from €0.1853/kWh and €0.0608/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Slovenia: 2.44 from €0.2121/kWh and €0.0871/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Romania: 5.11 from €0.2893/kWh and €0.0566/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Croatia: 3.05 from €0.1658/kWh and €0.0543/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Poland: 3.71 from €0.2709/kWh and €0.0730/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)
• Czechia: 3.35 from €0.3217/kWh and €0.0961/kWh (country_compare / Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register)

On this measure, Bulgaria sits better than Czechia, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia and Poland, and better than Hungary as well, while also staying below the rough 3.7 break-even line.

The corpus does not provide equivalent country-by-country EPREL brand-share tables for this peer set, so a numeric comparison of Bulgaria’s top-brand concentration versus neighbouring countries cannot be completed from the data supplied. For wider context, the cross-country comparison dashboard, the country index, and market index are the relevant navigation points.

Sources

• EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation — snapshot 2026-07-17
• IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes — snapshot 2026-07-17
• EPREL Public API · type aggregation — snapshot 2026-07-17
• Eurostat tariffs (band DC/D2 latest); NASA POWER 30y normal; EEA grid CO₂; subsidies captured manually from official programme pages — snapshot 2026-07-17
• Eurostat · NASA POWER · EEA · Househeating Pulse subsidy register — snapshot 2026-07-17
• (probe failed — data unavailable) — snapshot date not provided

Continue reading

• How to compare heat-pump SCOP without fooling yourself — What SCOP does and does not tell buyers across climates and product types.
• R290 vs R32 heat pumps: the trade-offs that matter — A practical read on refrigerant choice, regulation and installer implications.
• Air-to-water vs air-to-air heat pumps — Where each system type fits, and why EPREL counts can mislead if read without context.
• How to estimate heat-pump running costs from tariffs and SCOP — A quick method for translating electricity and gas prices into useful operating-cost comparisons.