The European Commission has, earlier this month, rejected a request from Italian MEP Isabella Tovaglieri to review the revised EU F-gas Regulation, which took effect from March 2024.
Tovaglieri’s appeal, submitted October 17, 2024, called on the Commission to reconsider two key provisions:
- The 2030 publication of a report evaluating the regulation’s impact, which she argues would lead to “six years of deadlock and uncertainty for industry.”
- The phase out of HFOs alongside HFCs, which she claimed would hinder Europe’s decarbonization efforts under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Tovaglieri, who is a member of Italy’s Lega per Salvini Premier party, attributed “slumps in sales” of heat pumps across the EU as a direct consequence of the revised f-gas rules.
No changes to timelines
Responding on behalf of the European Commission in January 2025, Dutch politician Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, rejected the appeal, affirming the regulation’s feasibility and importance.
“All the included prohibitions are expected to be feasible from the date they apply and are providing legal certainty to manufacturers of such equipment,” Wopke stated.
“All the included prohibitions are expected to be feasible from the date they apply and are providing legal certainty to manufacturers of such equipment.”
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
Prohibitions covered by the EU F-gas Regulations include:
- From 2027, small self-contained air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps (up to 12kW/3.4TR) cannot contain f-gases with a GWP of 150 or more. From 2032, there will be a complete phase out of f-gases in these systems.
- From 2027 and 2029, small split systems (up to 12kW) – air-to-water and air-to-air, respectively – cannot contain f-gases with a GWP of 150 or more. From 2035, there will be a complete phase out of f-gases in these systems.
In both cases, exceptions will apply where necessary to meet safety requirements.
The regulation also requires that the European Commission publish a report by January 1, 2030, evaluating the availability of cost-effective, technically feasible, energy-efficient and reliable alternatives to f-gases. Based on this assessment, legislative amendments may be proposed.
“The Commission does not see any reason to deviate from the legal requirement to review the F-gas Regulation by 2030,” Hoekstra said.
European heat pump struggles
The European heat pump market has faced significant challenges in recent years, following a decade of steady growth. According to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), sales began to drop in 2023, falling 47% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Some manufacturers have responded by reassessing their expansion plans or making job cuts.
Due to the EHPA’s lack of refrigerant-specific sales data, it is unclear how natural refrigerant-based heat pump sales are performing relative to those using synthetic alternatives.
“We do not have data on the exact percentage of each refrigerant used, so can not comment specifically on the quantum of each, but it is clear that [propane based heat pumps] are in growth phase,” Paul Kenny, Director General of the EHPA, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. “Most manufacturers have now launched their portfolio of [R290] models across the supply chain.”
According to BloombergNERF, Bloomberg’s energy-focused research service, natural refrigerant heat pumps made up 8% of EU heat pump sales in 2022. Since the start of 2023, more than 80 propane-based models have been announced by manufacturers.
The EHPA attributes the slowdown to several factors, including:
- Unstable policies: Countries like Italy and Poland, where changes in support schemes have eroded consumer confidence, contrast with nations like the Netherlands, where stable policies have sustained growth. In fact, the majority of European countries are failing to make heat pumps affordable.
- Rising electricity prices: Heat pump adoption depends on electricity being affordable compared to gas. However, in many parts of Europe, costs for electricity were over 2.5 times higher than for gas in early 2024, reducing the financial appeal of heat pumps.
As noted by Hoekstra, “The drop in [heat pump] sales is not linked to the new F-gas Regulation, [which] only entered into force in March 2024.”
“The key reasons for changes in EU sales are diverse with some markets increasing and some decreasing,” added Kenny. “F-gas regulations are not really relevant for 2024 sales. It will be the 2025 data that will show whether this is really impactful.”
“The key reasons for changes in EU sales are diverse with some markets increasing and some decreasing. F-gas regulations are not really relevant for 2024 sales.”
Paul Kenny, Director General of the EHPA
