Last year, more than 115 million m² were sold in Europe’s Top 13 markets as the market suffers by the declining housing market. The long-term growth trend remains intact and underfloor heating will further dominate the heating market. The residential customer segment will slightly loose market shares, as the latest study by InterConnection Consulting shows.

Poland Has the Biggest Electro Scene – Unlike Italy

Hydronic, meaning water based, UFH systems are the most common choice all across Europe when it comes to the decision of how to heat one’s floor. But there are some important differences: While the market share of water based UFH systems in Poland is still high with 74%, it is the lowest in Europe. The situation changes completely when we take a further look into the Italian market: almost 100% of all UFH systems sold are hydronic, mainly because of the advantage, compared to its electric counterpart, that during hot seasons these systems can also be used for cooling instead of heating. This phenomenon may be more established in Italy but it gains importance in other European countries too, like in the UK for example. Other factors for the popularity of hydronic systems could be the lower overall cost of energy consumption, even though the prices for installing choosing this heating option are higher than for the electric UFH systems.

Given the dominance of hydronic UFH systems, it is worth looking further into this product group: We can distinguish between the so-called wet installation method and the dry installation method, that is considered mostly in renovation projects. Wet installations are generally the most common installation method because of the lower costs.

Most UFH Systems Are Installed in the Residential Segment

The residential sector is the one with the most square meters of underfloor heating installed across all analyzed European countries. The market share of this customer segment varies between 67% and 98%, but in almost all countries, except Belgium, there is a trend towards the non-residential segment, meaning that by 2027 the European market share of this segment will be about 20%.

As the attachment rate is stable for the majority of the countries, the trend towards the non-residential segment can be mostly attributed to the comparatively better development of the non-residential sector.

The Top 10 Account Only for 28% of the Total Market

The so-called system producers, meaning producers that offer whole UFH systems, not only certain components like pipes or plates, have a cumulative quantity market share of only 28%. The rest of the market belongs to many component and regional system producers.

Market shares are currently shifting relatively strongly in Spain, where the established companies loose market shares to smaller and cheaper producers. Examples for local top players are ALB Sistemas and Polytherm in Spain, RWC and Polypipe in the UK and LK Pex in Sweden. The European top players in alphabetical order are: Danfoss, Oventrop, Purmo, Kermi, Rehau, Roth, Schütz, Stiebel Eltron, Uponor, and Warmup.

Link to the report

27/06/2024

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.