France's heat pump market drops as second home owners opt for alternatives

Recent headlines suggesting France’s heat pump (pompe à chaleur) market is losing steam have put the spotlight on other heating options, including for second homes. 

In 2023, after two years of strong sales growth, heat pump manufacturers invested massively and hired in droves.

However, since the beginning of last year sales in France have been declining, according to figures published by the Uniclima trade association. This is despite the fact the government has long championed this type of heating to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Changes in the subsidy system over the past year may have confused households. The pumps also remain one of the most expensive options.

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Drop in heat pump sales

One of the main French manufacturers of high-end heat pumps, Saunier Duval, announced a redundancy programme in December for 225 people out of its 730-strong workforce in Nantes, after it decided to slow down its rate of manufacture.

Some employees were able to transfer to other units in the company, which make gas and traditional electric heating systems. 

The main factor behind the decision to slow down, according to the company, was the large fall in orders from builders of new homes and flats – but it also pointed to difficulties in heat pump acceptance, because of their price, and because of the noise some units make.

Government grants for people installing heat pumps remains generous – up to €9,000 for many installations, according to Saunier Duval.

However, they are still more expensive than gas boilers, which can be legally installed when an old gas boiler or oil burner is replaced.

Gas boilers are now banned in new homes in France.

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Heating second homes 

Very few heat pumps are used in second homes, and when they are they are mainly the air-to-air type, where ducted hot air from the machine is blown into the house.

The big advantage for second homes of hot air systems is that the house warms up quickly – but like all heat pumps, they also should be left on in standby mode during summer to ensure the pump circulates from time to time to keep seals flexible.

Air-to-water systems using radiators take a longer time, often two or three days, to warm a house. Unless they can be controlled remotely and the heating switched on two days before the house is used, they may be unsuitable for many second-home owners.

In addition, heat will be wasted as the house cools slowly after the owners have left.

Many second homes are used mainly in the summer months when heating is not a problem, with shorter stays in the colder months.

In many rural areas, second homes do not have any central heating but rather large open fireplaces.

Keeping a wood fire going requires a fair amount of organising, from buying the wood, to stacking it in a dry place, and arranging for the chimney to be swept once a year.

Often a wood-fuel stove in the place of the open fire, or a wood pellet stove, are preferred options.

The latter, too, requires dry storage for the pellets.

More efficient than an open fireplace, stoves heat the room where they are installed quickly, using less wood than an open fire, but the heat does not always reach other parts of the house. 

In order to get around this problem, electric radiators (the most popular heating source in France) are often installed in second homes in addition to wood stoves.

Electric radiators broadly divide into two kinds: inertia units where a heating element heats oil or water to a temperature similar to radiators linked to a boiler, or radiating units, where an electric element glows hot and throws out heat like a fire.

For second homes the preference is often for radiating radiators. Although more expensive to run, they have the advantage of heating the room faster.

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