2026 heat-pump price vs efficiency in Europe: what the top brands really offer by size

What the 2026 EPREL market looks like by brand, size and efficiency

The starting point is scale. The current Househeating Pulse market snapshot tracks 60,989 heat-pump models from 777 manufacturers in EPREL (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Of those, 30,452 are air-to-water units (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API), which is the segment covered here and browsable in the live air-to-water catalog.

Across the whole registry, the average SCOP is 4.55 and the average declared power is 9.3 kW (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Energy-class distribution is wide, but 23,466 models sit in class APPP, 16,845 in AP and 8,924 in APP (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Readers wanting the broader framing can check the live market index snapshot or the methodology notes.

Brand concentration is sharper than many buyers assume. Daikin Europe N.V. alone accounts for 14,668 listings, or 24.05% of the market (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. follows with 5,575 listings and 9.14% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), while Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH has 3,602 listings and 5.91% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). Yet average brand SCOP does not map neatly onto volume: Daikin averages 4.44, Mitsubishi Electric Europe 4.51, Bosch 4.69, Ariston SpA 4.66, and Vaillant GmbH 4.54 (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

That matters because the editorial question here is value by size band. The corpus does not contain listed purchase prices, retail prices, distributor prices or installation costs. So the registry cannot answer the “price versus efficiency” question in euros, cannot calculate SCOP per euro, and cannot measure price-SCOP correlation directly. What it can show is something slightly different but still useful: within the visible EPREL field set, capacity, class and SCOP often diverge from brand reputation, especially when buyers compare models within the same output band.

For technical readers, the top end of the efficiency table is available in the air-to-water SCOP leaderboard and the full heat-pump catalog. For official registry context, the underlying database is the EU’s EPREL.

Small-output models: where buyers pay for efficiency — and where they do not

Using the corpus, a practical small-output band can be defined as roughly 1.0 kW to 7.0 kW because both the lowest-capacity sample and the high-SCOP sample cover that range (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

At the very low end, the smallest sampled models sit at 1.0 kW and show SCOP values from 3.15 to 4.77 in the visible sample (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). That is already a wide spread. For example, RHOSS has several 1.0 kW entries between 3.88 and 4.77 SCOP, while Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics entries at the same 1.0 kW point show 3.15 to 3.33 SCOP, with energy class D in those specific listings (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Brand alone is plainly not enough.

Move a little higher, and the best small-output SCOP figures improve sharply. NIBE AB places a 5.0 kW model at 6.88 SCOP and 7.0 kW models at 6.85 SCOP, all in class APPP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. appears with the 7.0 kW EHWT17D-MHEDW at 6.75 SCOP and 38 dB outdoor noise (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Walter Bösch and Kermi both place 8.0 kW models at 6.90 SCOP in class APPP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

Small-output efficiency spread in the visible corpus

The practical lesson is that small-output buyers should compare within a narrow capacity band and not across brand averages. Vaillant’s average brand SCOP is 4.54 across 1,195 listings (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), yet the sampled small-capacity Vaillant entries range from 2.75 at 2.0 kW to 4.77 at 3.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). NIBE’s brand-wide average is not given in the brand-share top 20? It is: 4.?? No, NIBE is not in that top-20 table, so the corpus does not provide NIBE’s market share or average SCOP in that ranking (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). The registry simply shows that some small NIBE units sit far above the general market average of 4.55 SCOP (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).

Mid-size units: the main battleground for price versus SCOP

For buyer decisions, the most instructive middle band in this corpus is roughly 8.0 kW to 20.0 kW. This is also close to the market’s overall average power of 9.3 kW (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).

In this band, the top SCOP figures are tightly clustered at the top. Walter Bösch has 8.0 kW models at 6.90 SCOP, 10.0 kW models at 6.78 SCOP, 15.0 kW models at 6.72 SCOP and 20.0 kW models at 6.67 SCOP, all in class APPP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Master Therm shows 10.0 kW at 6.97, 11.0 kW at 6.62, 13.0 kW at 6.97 and 20.0 kW at 6.95 SCOP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). ProCalor B.V. ProGH10-32DC also posts 6.95 SCOP at 10.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog), while Master Therm tepelná čerpadla s.r.o. AQ30I-0WW reaches 6.97 SCOP at 13.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

Mid-size band: top visible performers

The corpus again cannot say whether these are cheaper or dearer than similarly sized offers. But it can say that several less mass-market names appear above the large-volume brands in raw efficiency. That is the central buyer takeaway. Large catalog presence does not guarantee best-in-band SCOP. For example, Daikin has the biggest overall presence at 24.05% share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), but no Daikin model appears in the visible top-50 SCOP table supplied here (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). The same is true for Johnson Controls Hitachi despite an 8.54% market share (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).

Larger-capacity heat pumps: do premium brands still justify the markup?

For larger-capacity models, the visible sample runs from roughly 35.0 kW up to 77.0 kW in the high-SCOP table (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Since price data is missing, the markup question cannot be answered in euros. Efficiency ranking, however, is clear enough.

The highest SCOP in this larger band is Hoval Aktiengesellschaft 42 -Thermalia® twin (26) GW at 35.0 kW and 6.97 SCOP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Hoval also appears at 46.0 kW with 6.88 and at 55.0 kW with 6.57 (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Trane entries reach 6.80 at 65.0 kW and 6.75 at 56.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). WAMAK shows 6.80 at 51.0 kW and 6.75 at 61.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). G.I. Industrial Holding spans 51.0 kW to 65.0 kW with SCOP values from 6.60 to 6.80 (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).

That larger-band spread is narrower than the very small-capacity sample. In the visible high-efficiency cohort from 35.0 kW to 77.0 kW, SCOP runs from 6.42 to 6.97 (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). So buyers shopping larger commercial or multi-residential units appear to face less efficiency dispersion at the top than buyers at 1.0 kW to 3.0 kW.

The biggest outliers: brands and models where price and performance diverge

Price outliers cannot be identified because the registry does not record price in this corpus. Performance outliers, however, are obvious.

The strongest positive outlier in the supplied top-SCOP list is Risch Kälte- und Klimatechnik GmbH OH I 4esr TWW W/W, which leads the air-to-water sample at 7.00 SCOP and 10.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). That sits 2.45 points above the market-wide average SCOP of 4.55 (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).

At the small-capacity end, Vaillant’s sampled 2.0 kW VWL 35/4 S 230V shows just 2.75 SCOP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog), which is 1.80 points below the market average of 4.55 (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Yet other sampled 3.0 kW Vaillant systems reach 4.77 SCOP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). That is a strong within-brand spread.

Another useful outlier is the class mismatch in some small-capacity entries. Several Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics 1.0 kW models show SCOP between 3.15 and 3.33 with class D (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog), while many top-performing models elsewhere in the corpus sit in APPP. Across the whole market, only 193 models are class D versus 23,466 in APPP (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Buyers who skim branding before class labels are likely to miss that distinction.

The corpus also shows that top efficiency is not rare at the upper end of the rankings. Every model in the supplied top-50 SCOP table is class APPP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). But the registry does not provide prices for those entries, so it cannot say what price bracket that top class occupies.

What buyers and installers should take from the rankings

Three points stand up cleanly in the 2026 EPREL data.

First, the market is huge and concentrated, but concentration does not equal best efficiency. Daikin holds 24.05% of listings and Mitsubishi Electric Europe 9.14% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation), yet the visible SCOP leaders in air-to-water come from smaller names such as Risch, Master Therm, ProCalor, Walter Bösch, Kermi and Hoval (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). The manufacturer index is therefore a better starting point for comparison than brand familiarity alone.

Second, output band matters more than headline reputation. At 1.0 kW to 3.0 kW, the sample ranges from 2.75 to 4.97 SCOP (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). At 35.0 kW to 77.0 kW in the top-efficiency sample, the range tightens to 6.42 to 6.97 (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Buyers should shortlist by size first, then compare SCOP, class and noise. The Househeating Pulse sizing calculator and payback calculator help with that workflow.

Third, the “price versus efficiency” claim cannot be completed from EPREL alone here, because the corpus does not record prices. Any installer or journalist making a value-per-euro ranking from this dataset alone would be overstating the evidence. What the data does support is the narrower and more defensible claim that premium brand recognition often fails as a proxy for top efficiency within the same output band. For that task, the best tools remain the full EPREL catalog, the air-to-water leaderboard, and the broader leaderboards hub.

Sources

• EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog — top_models probes for air-water units sorted by SCOP descending and power ascending, snapshot 2026-06-17
• EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation — top 20 manufacturer shares and average SCOP, snapshot 2026-06-17
• Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API — market_index_snapshot, snapshot 2026-06-17
• brand_detail probe failed — data unavailable for slug daikin, no snapshot date
• brand_detail probe failed — data unavailable for slug mitsubishi-electric, no snapshot date

Continue reading

• How to compare heat-pump SCOP without being misled — A practical guide to reading efficiency claims across sizes and system types.
• Air-to-water heat-pump sizing basics for European homes — Why output band should come before brand when building a shortlist.
• What EPREL does and does not tell buyers about heat pumps — Where the registry is strong, and where it stays silent on real-world buying decisions.
• Heat-pump noise, refrigerants and energy class: the overlooked filters — How to use class, sound and refrigerant data alongside SCOP.