Even though Italy can boast that it is gearing up to implement Europe’s strong RES directive regulations sooner than other countries (a step that will improve prospects for low carbon technologies in the new build sector) – our Roadmap Service research indicates that this is merely the silver lining on a very foreboding cloud. Many other important factors fail to support decarbonising the residential heating sector in Italy.

Cracking the retrofit sector remains the key challenge, and we believe that gas based low carbon technologies represent the most promising solution. Market dynamics strongly favour gas, especially in the short to medium term:

As summer fades to an autumnal chill, we here at Delta-ee’s heat pump research service turn to heat pumps to help stave-off the coming winter blues, and our minds wander to thoughts of the biennial European Heat Pump Summit, the beating heart of the heat pump industry.

Heat pump technologies change, but the focus remains the same

A long term reduction in gas and oil prices has minimal impact on our forecasts for the European heating market to 2025, with a range of emerging technologies continuing to threaten the dominance of the traditional boiler across Europe as the share of oil and gas boilers declines.

This highlights that key players and energy suppliers need to continue to embrace higher efficient and lower carbon heating products, even in the light of the lower fuel prices we are currently experiencing.