Heat pumps are coming back into favor. The Polish market is recovering after two years of decline
80 percent heat pump users are satisfied with this type of heating, and only 5 percent expresses its dissatisfaction – according to SW Research. This technology is becoming more and more popular, which is also visible in market results – sales of heat pumps in the first half of 2025 increased by 27%. year to year. However, there are still many myths surrounding this technology myself translate into consumer decisions.
– In 2022, we had a record number of heat pumps sold in Poland, over 220,000. pieces. However, in the next two years, unfortunately, there was a decline of about 38 percent, but this year we see a revival of this technology and an increase in interest in it. We recorded an increase in heat pump sales in the first half of the year by approximately 27%. – says Dr. Eng. to the Newseria agency. Małgorzata Smuczyńska, vice-president of the management board of the Polish Organization for the Development of Heat Pump Technology.
According to PORT PC data from the Polish heat pump market, in the first half of this year. by 30 percent sales of air-water devices increased year on year, and taking into account only the second quarter of this year, the increase was 42%. compared to the same period in 2024.
– It turns out that heat pump users are very satisfied with the device they have chosen. A study conducted by SW Research in August 2025 on a representative sample of one thousand owners of single-family houses heated with heat pumps shows that 80 percent people are satisfied with this technology and the use of heat pumps. For comparison: among users of gas boilers this percentage is approximately 60 percent, and among users of biomass boilers 70 percent. – emphasizes Dr. Eng. Małgorzata Smuczyńska.
Satisfied users of heat pumps (80 percent of respondents) particularly value the convenience of heating operation (63 percent), optimal thermal comfort (55 percent), failure-free operation (38 percent), a source of renewable energy (38 percent), low heating costs (37 percent) and rational purchase and installation costs (28 percent). Moreover, out of the entire group of one thousand respondents, 84 percent users were satisfied or very satisfied with the convenient operation of the devices, 76 percent positively assessed their failure-free operation, and 62 percent – heating costs.
– The costs of heating with a heat pump are relatively the best when compared to other heating devices. For example, compared to a gas boiler, heating costs using a heat pump can be up to 50 percent lower. lower, regardless of what kind of building it is – says the vice-president of PORT PC. – When it comes to checking what these costs will look like before purchasing a heat pump, it is best to verify it based on cost calculators available on websites.
One of them is a simplified calculator of the costs of heating and preparing hot water developed by the Polish Smog Alert based on the calculator of the Industry Agreement for Energy Efficiency (POBE). It is constantly updated based on current energy prices, which are downloaded from the Eurostat database.
How are the finances in all this?
For example, according to data for the second quarter of this year. the annual heating costs of a single-family building with an area of 150 sq m, subjected to thermal modernization under the Clean Air program, together with the cost of preparing domestic hot water for a family of four in the case of a brine/water heat pump with underfloor heating are PLN 3,210, and for an air/water pump with radiators – PLN 4,850. For a gas condensing boiler, these costs range from PLN 6,850 to PLN 7,290.
In turn, sample annual heating costs for a new single-family building with an area of 150 sq m. in the standard program Moje Ciepło for a brine/water heat pump with underfloor heating is PLN 2,030, with an air-water heat pump and underfloor heating – PLN 2,380. In comparison, the costs of gas heating amount to approximately PLN 4,100.
– If we add a photovoltaic installation, we can reduce this cost to half – emphasizes Dr. Eng. Małgorzata Smuczyńska. – Over 62 percent heat pump users rate the operating costs as very favorable.
According to SW Research, 73 percent respondents would again decide to install a heat pump as a way to heat their home. Only 9 percent answered definitely or probably not.
Myths around heat pumps
However, there are many myths surrounding heat pumps. One of them is the claim that heat pumps do not operate below a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius.
– Heat pumps operate at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius, including air heat pumps even down to -25 degrees Celsius. This fact is additionally confirmed by the largest number of heat pumps installed and used in countries with a very cold climate, i.e. in the Scandinavian countries – says the expert.
According to the latest data from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), the leader in terms of the number of heat pumps in Europe is Norway, where there are 632 of them per thousand households. Finland is in second place with 524 devices.
– The heat pump can operate effectively both in a building with underfloor heating and radiators. At a higher temperature, which is needed in a radiator installation, it will simply have lower efficiency, so the user must take into account that heating costs per year will be approximately PLN 500 higher compared to an installation with underfloor heating – says Dr. Eng. Małgorzata Smuczyńska. – If he is aware of this and still decides to install a heat pump, there is no problem with it. Currently, we have many technologies that can heat water to a temperature of 65 or even 75 degrees Celsius, so heat pumps cope perfectly with both new radiator installations and slightly older ones that require a higher supply temperature.
Another myth is that a heat pump only works in new buildings with very good thermal insulation or is only profitable in combination with a photovoltaic installation. This is contradicted by the results of the SW Research study. Over 80% of people are satisfied with heating their home with a heat pump. users living in insulated buildings. However, in the case of uninsulated buildings, there are still many people who are satisfied with this type of heating, 63%. (the percentage of dissatisfied people is only 13%). In houses with photovoltaic panels, 82% of people declare satisfaction. users (including half of the “very satisfied”), while in houses without panels the result is 74%. Therefore, the industry ensures that the installations also work in older buildings, with slightly worse insulation, and in buildings without photovoltaics.
– The heat pump industry tries to fight the myths that surround this technology, primarily by organizing information campaigns. An example is the “Pump heat wisely” campaign, which we have been running for about two years. You can visit the website and download guides, where we explain, for example, how to prepare for installation, what to pay attention to, how to choose a good heat pump, how to check opinions about the installer – says the representative of PORT PC.
One of the industry's initiatives is the Heat Pump Day, coordinated by the European Heat Pump Association and with the participation of partners from various European countries. In Poland, PORT PC is responsible for it. Heat Pump Day is celebrated every year on October 21.
– During such a day, a number of activities are undertaken that facilitate understanding of technology and bring it closer to you. For example, these are open days organized by well-known heat pump manufacturers throughout Poland, webinars, practical workshops, open meetings, information campaigns and competitions – explains Dr. Eng. Małgorzata Smuczyńska.
As he emphasizes, in the last two years many controversial articles have been published about heating houses with heat pumps, which are part of the pro-Russian disinformation campaign.
– Myths have a very negative impact on the development of the market and we have observed this in the last two years when we were dealing with a decline in sales of heat pumps. By overturning them, we manage to rekindle interest in this technology – says the vice-president of the Polish Organization for the Development of Heat Pump Technology. – The fact that some people have lost trust in heat pump technology is primarily due to disinformation and negative information campaigns that appear on the Internet. Therefore, it is definitely worth reaching for real, reliable, proven data sources.
