Comparison · 9 min read · Updated 2026-05-08
State of the European heat-pump market — what 60 000 EPREL listings reveal
A data-led look at the EU heat-pump market: who lists most models, which refrigerants dominate, where SCOP and noise sit on average, and how brand share concentrates.
The live EPREL catalog is large enough now to show market structure, not just product variety. On the latest snapshot, it contains 61,199 heat-pump models from 774 distinct manufacturers (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Across that full set, the average declared seasonal coefficient of performance is 4.55, average capacity is 9.27 kW, and average outdoor sound power level is 61.3 dB (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).
That headline picture supports a simple reading. Europe’s listed heat-pump market is broad in brand count, but still heavily concentrated in model-count terms. At the same time, the refrigerant mix remains dominated by legacy HFC families, even as lower-GWP and natural options are clearly present in the registry. Readers can track the same dataset live in the market index, browse all listed manufacturers, or inspect the ranking logic in the methodology notes.
The market in one snapshot: model count, brand count, and averages
As of 2026-05-08, the EPREL-derived market snapshot shows 61,199 listed heat-pump models and 774 manufacturers (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). The catalog is not evenly distributed across product types. Air-water units account for 30,542 listings, air-air for 21,216, heat-pump water heaters for 9,184, ground-water for 226, and water-water for 31 (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API).
The overall average SCOP sits at 4.55, with average capacity at 9.27 kW and average outdoor noise at 61.3 dB (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Those averages matter because they anchor the discussion around what is typical rather than exceptional. Buyers comparing a shortlist in the full heat-pump catalog should read any standout claim against this baseline.
The energy-class distribution also shows how top-end labels dominate the registry. EPREL records 23,598 models in A+++ class, 8,973 in A++, 16,873 in A+, and 6,262 in A, while lower classes are much smaller: 3,489 in C, 188 in D, 3 in E, and 1 in F (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). The best-labelled segment can be viewed directly through the A+++ heat-pump listings.
Who owns the listings: brand concentration among the top manufacturers
The biggest single fact in the brand ranking is the size of Daikin Europe N.V.: 14,672 models, equal to 23.97% of all listings (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). That is nearly one in four listed models on its own.
The next tier is much smaller. Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. has 5,604 models and a 9.16% share, while JOHNSON CONTROLS HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING EUROPE SAS, SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA has 5,234 and 8.55% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH follows with 3,603 models and 5.89%, and Ariston SpA with 2,658 and 4.34% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).
Adding the shares directly from the ranking, the top five manufacturers account for 51.91% of all listed models (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). Extending to the top 10 raises that to 60.83% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). The top 15 reach 65.28% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).
That is a concentrated registry by model count, even though the long tail is large. There are 774 manufacturers in total, but the top 15 alone account for 39,950 of 61,199 listings when summing the reported model counts (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation).
| Rank | Manufacturer | Models | Share | Avg SCOP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daikin Europe N.V. | 14,672 | 23.97% | 4.45 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. | 5,604 | 9.16% | 4.51 |
| 3 | JOHNSON CONTROLS HITACHI AIR CONDITIONING EUROPE SAS, SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA | 5,234 | 8.55% | 4.18 |
| 4 | Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH | 3,603 | 5.89% | 4.69 |
| 5 | Ariston SpA | 2,658 | 4.34% | 4.63 |
| 6 | ATLANTIC SOC FRANCAISE DEVELOP THERMIQUE | 1,460 | 2.39% | 4.38 |
| 7 | Vaillant GmbH | 1,195 | 1.95% | 4.55 |
| 8 | GENERAL HVAC Solutions Euro GmbH | 968 | 1.58% | 4.39 |
(brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation)
For live ranked views beyond market share, the leaderboard hub is the natural next stop.
What refrigerants dominate: the live EPREL mix and the transition signal
The declared refrigerant mix is still led by R32. EPREL contains 13,945 listings declaring R32 (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). The second large block is R410A with 1,929 listings, plus 49 listed as “R410a” and 12 as “R410”, which indicates both continued use and inconsistent declaration formatting in the raw registry (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).
Natural refrigerants remain a small minority in the aggregate snapshot. The market index puts the natural-refrigerant share at 3.29% of listings (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). Within the declared counts shown, R290 appears on 543 listings, with another 2 as “R290A” and 1 as “R290a” (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). R134A appears only twice in the declared usage table (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).
Two points stand out. First, the registry’s refrigerant field is messy: “R410A”, “R410a” and “R410” all appear separately, and the same is true for R290 variants (refrigerant_universe / IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes). Second, despite the visibility of propane in current marketing, the live listing base is still numerically dominated by HFC declarations, especially R32 models. Readers wanting the underlying chemistry and regulatory context should use the refrigerants reference and the official EU F-gas regulation page.
For direct catalog inspection, the live filters for R290 heat pumps and R134A heat pumps are useful.
Efficiency by heat-pump type: SCOP, capacity, and noise compared
Type-level averages are uneven, and some fields are simply not recorded for every category. For water-water units, the average SCOP is 6.5, average capacity is 35.65 kW, and average outdoor noise is 42.0 dB across 31 models (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). That makes water-water the leading type in both efficiency and declared quietness on this dataset (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation).
Ground-water units average 4.77 SCOP, 19.11 kW, and 58.8 dB across 226 models (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). Air-water, by far the largest named heating segment, averages 4.54 SCOP, 11.78 kW, and 59.7 dB across 30,542 models (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). Air-air models average 5.4 kW and 64.1 dB across 21,216 models, but the registry does not record an average SCOP for this type in the supplied aggregation (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). For heat-pump water heaters, the registry likewise does not provide average SCOP, capacity or noise in this probe, even though there are 9,184 listings (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation).
| Type | Models | Avg SCOP | Avg capacity | Avg outdoor noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| water-water | 31 | 6.5 | 35.65 kW | 42.0 dB |
| ground-water | 226 | 4.77 | 19.11 kW | 58.8 dB |
| air-water | 30,542 | 4.54 | 11.78 kW | 59.7 dB |
| air-air | 21,216 | not recorded | 5.4 kW | 64.1 dB |
| hp-water-heater | 9,184 | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
(type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation)
This is one reason the air-water catalog slice and the top SCOP air-to-water leaderboard are more decision-useful than a single market-wide average. It also helps explain why the small quietest models leaderboard tends to look very different from the mainstream product base.
The best models on paper: what the top-ranked listings look like
The top 10 SCOP-ranked entries cluster tightly. The highest listed model is Risch Kälte- und Klimatechnik GmbH OH I 4esr TWW W/W at SCOP 7.0 and 10.0 kW, classified as air-water, with A+++ heating class (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Four entries sit at 6.97 SCOP, two at 6.95, and two at 6.92, so the top 10 spans only 0.08 SCOP points from rank 2 to rank 10 (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).
Among named examples, Waterkotte GmbH EcoTouch DS 5034.5 T (water/water) posts SCOP 6.97 at 34.0 kW, Hoval Aktiengesellschaft 42 -Thermalia® twin (26) GW also reaches 6.97 at 35.0 kW, and Master Therm tepelná čerpadla s.r.o. AQ30I-0WW reaches 6.97 at 13.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Master Therm tepelná čerpadla s.r.o. AQ45I-0WW follows at 6.95 SCOP and 20.0 kW (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog).
Two caveats are important. First, all top-10 entries are A+++ for heating (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Second, their refrigerant field is null throughout the supplied top-model probe, so the registry does not let this article quantify the refrigerant mix at the very top end (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). Likewise, all 10 entries show outdoor noise as 0 dB in this extract, which is almost certainly a data artifact rather than a real acoustic value; the registry extract does not resolve it here (top_models / EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog). For a live ranked list, use the overall top SCOP leaderboard.
What buyers and installers should take from the numbers
Three descriptive conclusions follow directly from the snapshot.
First, this is a concentrated listings market. The top five manufacturers control 51.91% of listed models, the top 10 control 60.83%, and the top 15 control 65.28% (brand_share / EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation). For journalists and distributors, that means the brand story is still dominated by a small set of very large catalog owners.
Second, the refrigerant transition is visible but incomplete. R32 alone appears on 13,945 listings, while R290 appears on 543, plus 3 more under case variants (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). Natural refrigerants account for 3.29% of listings in the market index (market_index_snapshot / Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API). That is movement, not dominance.
Third, product type matters more than market-wide averages suggest. Water-water leads on average SCOP at 6.5 and on quietness at 42.0 dB, but across only 31 models; air-water sits at 4.54 SCOP and 59.7 dB across 30,542 models, which makes it the much larger practical market (type_efficiency / EPREL Public API · type aggregation). Buyers comparing real installations should pair the catalog with a sizing calculator, the climate-fit tool, and, where relevant, the payback calculator. For terminology gaps, the HVAC glossary remains the quickest reference.
Sources
- Househeating Pulse · Market Index v1, computed from EPREL Public API — snapshot dated 2026-05-08
- EPREL Public API · brand-share aggregation — snapshot dated 2026-05-08
- IPCC AR6 GWP table; EU Reg. 2024/573 phase-out schedule; EPREL declared codes — snapshot dated 2026-05-08
- EPREL Public API · type aggregation — snapshot dated 2026-05-08
- EPREL Public API via Househeating Pulse catalog — snapshot dated 2026-05-08
Continue reading
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- COP vs SCOP — which number should you trust? — Why seasonal efficiency usually matters more than headline lab figures.
- [Air-to-water