Czech Republic’s Heat Pump Push Falters as Gas Boilers Regain Ground Post-Energy Crisis
- himanshu_labroo
- Oct 28
- 2 min read
The immediate fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 was the European energy crisis that followed. The souring of relations with Europe over the invasion of Ukraine threatened the availability of gas for heating and other purposes during harsh winter months, with the Russian Federation being the biggest gas supplier to the continent. In order to maintain energy security and mitigate the impending impact of this development, various European governments pushed for alternate heating appliances and renewable energy sources.
Like in various European countries, promoting heat pumps for heating against boilers was one of the major initiatives of the Czech government at the time to enhance energy security and reduce dependence on Russian gas. However, three years down, gas boilers still account for more than double the sales of heat pumps annually.
While penetration of heat pumps in Czech homes has increased sharply compared to the period before 2022, the trend seems to have fizzled out post-2023. 2023 was the only year when installations of heat pumps, particularly air-water heat pumps, surged, indicating a strong policy-driven push and public adoption. However, the market struggled miserably in 2024, as soon as the clouds of the gas crisis cleared and supply stabilised. In fact, sales of gas boilers rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels, showing a return to traditional heating methods.
The shift back to gas boilers suggests that cost, convenience, and reliability may still favour traditional systems over newer technologies. Sustaining the transition to renewable heating solutions requires consistent incentives, public awareness, and possibly regulatory measures.
BRG has noted that the overall market confidence in heat pumps remains lower than the record sales of 2022, despite a modest rebound in 2025. Progress remains constrained by policy uncertainty and reduced incentives, according to experts. The heat pump market continues to face challenges which put consumers off, like shifting national subsidy schemes, a cost-of-living crunch and higher electricity prices compared to gas. Furthermore, there is an ongoing slowdown in new build segment where heat pump systems are preferred as a long-term heating solution.
Taking the current market scenario into consideration, BRG projections show that gas boilers could still be the most significant heating solution in Czech Republic even in 2030. Cost, convenience, and reliability could still favour traditional systems over newer technologies and sustaining the transition to renewable heating solutions requires consistent incentives, public awareness, and possibly regulatory measures.
Find out more in our latest edition of the Czech Republic Heating Report.
Source: Himanshu Labroo, BRG Research
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