Today, we have an extremely wide selection of heat pumps from various brands on the market. There are currently approximately 30,000 registered in the EPREL database, the EU Product Register for Energy Labeling. heat pump models − among a total of almost 37,000 models of various heating devices for central heating. This proves the popularity of this technology, but also makes it difficult for many investors to decide which of the offered heat pumps guarantee the highest quality. In this matter, it is undoubtedly worth trusting renowned European certificates.
The most recognizable among them is the Heat Pump Keymark (HP Keymark), owned by the European standards organizations CEN and CENELEC.
This heat pump certification system is recommended in our country by both the Central Refrigeration Center (COCH) and the Polish Committee for Standardization, and throughout Europe – by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).
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Financing for heat pumps only for those on the Utilities Service list
Quality certificates are important, but if we decide to replace the heating and want to receive subsidies from the Clean Air program, remember that we only choose pumps from the UTI list.
From June 14 this year There have been significant changes in the Clean Air program. On that day, the obligation for beneficiaries to select heat pumps and biomass boilers from the UTI list came into force.
At the same time, as part of the program, from June 14, it became obligatory to perform an energy audit if you intend to replace your stove with a heat pump.
Let us remember that the entry of heat pumps on the UTI list is possible on the basis of device tests in certified laboratories in the EU and EFTA, which was agreed with the industry in the agreement of December 2023. Temporarily, until the end of 2024.
The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management has also allowed for the registration of devices on the list of Customers based on European quality marks. Companies that do not yet have accredited tests for heat pumps can, from June 14, 2024, submit an application for temporary entry on the UTI list based on the EHPA Q, HP Keymark or Eurovent quality marks. This will enable them to be on this list until December 31, 2024.
What does this mean for homeowners? This means that, first of all, when choosing a heat pump, they should take into account not only the quality mark but, above all, whether it is on the Utilities Office list.
Please remember that heat pumps admitted to the UTI list on the basis of the EHPA Q, HP Keymark or Eurovent quality marks will only be temporarily on the list for approximately 5 months. Will they disappear from the UTI list after this period, i.e. from January 1, 2025? It all depends on whether the producers provide a complete set of appropriate tests within this time. What?
We emphasize again: only by providing a set of tests that meet the requirements of the Clean Air program will it be possible to be on the UTI list from 2025 – said President Zawadzka-Stępniak. – Ultimately, only devices will remain on the UTI list for which tests provided by an accredited laboratory located in an EU or EFTA country will confirm their technical parameters.
The closer to the end of the year, the beneficiaries seeking subsidies for heat pumps should check whether they have a complete set of tests performed by an accredited laboratory located in an EU or EFTA country. These tests finally confirm the technical parameters of the heat pump and whether it will not disappear from the UTI list and will be subsidized. from January 1, 2025
Quality marks and certificates will not be as important as the above tests if we want to obtain funding for a heat pump from the Clean Air program.
What do certificates provide if we decide to purchase a heat pump?
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Why is it worth buying a heat pump with a quality certificate?
First, a few words about the heat pump technology itself and expectations regarding their testing and certification system. First of all, heat pumps are very technologically advanced devices that are available in many different configurations – depending on the type of lower heat source and the method of its transfer, the construction solutions used, the type of refrigerant or integrated equipment (e.g. hot water tank).
In addition, heat pumps often perform a number of different functions. They can be used simultaneously for home heating, cooling and water heating, and in each of these cases they should ensure the highest possible efficiency, minimization of the impact on the environment (e.g. noise reduction), operational comfort and work safety.
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For a reliable assessment of the quality of these devices, it is extremely important that their tests are carried out in highly specialized and accredited laboratories that have extensive experience and enjoy a widespread reputation. The scope of research and its formula are also important.
They should be comprehensive and take into account the diverse operating conditions of heat pumps, the offered design variants of the devices and the implementation of individual functions.
Such quality tests for heat pumps are provided by the HP Keymark certification system mentioned earlier. Their credibility is additionally guaranteed by the implementation of the so-called evaluation system. third (independent) party, as well as eliminating the risk of testing only individual "golden devices" selected by the manufacturer. – emphasize PORT PC experts. – To maintain the HP Keymark, heat pump production plants must undergo an annual quality control system inspection, during which inspectors randomly select devices from the production line for laboratory testing. In this way, they check whether appropriate standards are followed during production and whether subsequent devices meet the established technical parameters.
Many heat pump manufacturers present on the Polish market can boast of the HP Keymark certificate – a reliable proof of the high quality of their devices, widely recognized in Europe and beyond. So let's take a look at how solid and broad institutional support HP Keymark has.
Recommendation of the Central Refrigeration Center
The Central Refrigeration Center (COCH) is a well-known Polish research center that is currently the only one in Poland authorized to conduct certified tests of heat pumps.
As you can read on the COCH website:
Our research laboratory and an independent inspection and certification unit have the ability to perform the necessary tests, as well as verification, marking and factory inspection of products recognized with the Keymark mark.
Next is the HP Keymark certificate itself and its compliance with European standards:
HP Keymark is a voluntary, independent European certification mark (ISO type 5 certification) for all heat pumps, combined heat pumps and hot water heaters (in accordance with ecodesign and energy labeling requirements, i.e. EU regulations 811/2013 and 812/2013, EU 813/ 2013 and 814/2013). Certification is based on independent third-party testing and confirms compliance with the product requirements set out in the HP Keymark Principles and with the performance requirements set out by Ecodesign (Lot 1 and Lot 2).
Among the key features and benefits of this certification system, the Central Refrigeration Center also lists:
- annual factory production control (FPC) and quality management system control;
- transparency and robustness of the certification system, which creates trust in the European market;
- mutual acceptance of the certificate by all participating certification bodies in Europe.
Currently, 13 European research institutes are authorized to issue the HP Keymark certificate – COCH is one of them. They cooperate with 27 specialized, notified laboratories, 21 of which are located in Europe.
Each of these laboratories tests heat pumps on the basis of accreditation granted by an institution that is the equivalent of the Polish Center for Accreditation (PCA) in a given country. They can therefore carry out research for the Clean Air program, and all of them clearly support the HP Keymark certification system – emphasize PORT PC experts.
Recommendation of the Polish Committee for Standardization
Information about the Keymark testing and certification system can also be found on the website of the Polish Committee for Standardization:
KEYMARK is a voluntary European third-party certification mark confirming compliance of products or services with European Standards. This mark is the property of the European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC and is issued by authorized certification bodies.
It is worth adding that since January 1, 2004, the Polish Committee for Standardization has been a member of the European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC, which are the owners of the Keymark mark. In 2021, PKN President Ewa Zielińska was elected to the position of CENELEC Vice President for Policy and continues to hold this position.
This is how PKN informs about the origins and purpose of creating the Keymark:
In response to the 1992 European Council resolution on improving consumer protection and countering uncertainty caused by the diversity of quality marks, the European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC developed the Keymark in 1993-1994.
The Keymark system is currently used to certify various products and services. It is particularly well recognized on the Polish heating market, e.g. in the field of certification of solar collectors – as the Solar Keymark quality mark, which has been operating for almost 20 years. The HP Keymark certification system for heat pumps is younger, but it is still almost 10 years old – it was created in 2015 in cooperation with research centers BRE from Great Britain, DIN CERTCO from Germany and SP CERT from Sweden.
PORT PC strives to ensure that heat pumps with the HP Keymark certificate are included on the UTI list indefinitely
The HP Keymark is also recommended by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) and the Polish Organization for the Development of Heat Pump Technology (PORT PC), which has been a member of EHPA for years.
Both organizations are sectoral in nature, bringing together not only heat pump manufacturers and their representatives, but also installers, designers and representatives of the scientific community.
– Patric Crombez, current president of the management board of EHPA, who in June this year was an honorary guest of the 12th PORT PC Congress, and in his speech he pointed out the rapidly growing importance of the HP Keymark certification system. He noted that it is currently fully recognized in 10 European countries (including France, Germany and Great Britain), constituting a recommendation for the high quality of heat pumps marked with it and often enabling state subsidies to be obtained for the purchase/installation of these devices. He also presented a map illustrating the extent to which this sign is recognized in individual European countries (in relation to national support programs) – emphasize PORT PC experts.
Currently, PORT PC is trying to ensure that in the Polish "Clean Air" program, heat pumps with the HP Keymark certificate (as well as those with the related EHPA Q certificate or the Eurovent certificate) are qualified without any obstacles or time limits to the UTI list, which entitles them to obtain funding. The recommendations indicated above are sufficient justification for this – emphasize PORT PC experts.
It is worth mentioning that the EHPA Quality certificate (EHPA Q) is a national quality mark, also awarded in Poland. It is based on the requirements of the HP Keymark certification system, but in order to obtain it, it is also necessary for the manufacturer/distributor to meet the following requirements:
- ensuring a national service network for the offered heat pumps,
- development of complete technical documentation of devices in Polish,
- guaranteeing the availability of all spare parts – a minimum of 10 years from the end of production of a given heat pump model,
- organization of professional training for installers.
A comprehensive approach is important
Paweł Lachman, president of PORT PC, emphasizes that the good quality of heat pumps offered on the Polish market, like other heating devices, must be taken care of comprehensively and that this is the task not only of the industry, but also of public authorities:
We need random market checks carried out in accordance with ecodesign recommendations. This will effectively eliminate the problem of the so-called gold products, allowing you to check whether subsequent devices manufactured – and not only those initially selected by the manufacturer for testing – meet the declared technical parameters. Therefore, it is not about checking the documents themselves, because they do not prove the actual quality of the products, but about subjecting randomly selected devices on the market to laboratory tests. And also – about the possible application of sanctions provided for by European law. Only such an approach will have a chilling effect among dishonest sellers and end the discussion on how to best seal the UTI list, emphasizes Paweł Lachman.
The effectiveness of activities related to the protection of the heating equipment market and consumer interests is therefore greatly influenced by whether public authorities fully respect European law in this area. And here we also need to refer to the EPREL database, i.e. the EU Product Register for Energy Labeling.
In Poland, European standards and regulations for pump certification remain theoretical
From January 1, 2019, all devices subject to energy labeling requirements, including heat pumps and boilers, must be registered in the EPREL database before being placed on the EU market.
The manufacturer or importer is responsible for this. Registration confirms that its products meet energy efficiency requirements and are compliant with EU regulations, so they can be placed on the market without any problems.
Meanwhile, as Paweł Lachman notes:
In Poland, these regulations still remain only in the sphere of theory. Just take a quick look at the UTI list to see that it also includes devices that are not included in the EPREL database. Therefore, it is worth asking our officials a question: why do we use public money to subsidize devices that not only should not be subsidized, but should not even be sold in the EU? Therefore, have the manufacturers of these devices been convinced that, in accordance with EU law, they may face legal and financial consequences for not registering in the EPREL database?
Co-financing not only for the heat pump, but also for the entire RES installation system
While striving for the highest possible quality of heat pumps, we must not forget that the effective operation of these devices is determined not only by their technical parameters, but also by the components of the installation.
A weather controller is undoubtedly an essential element of the heat pump equipment, emphasizes Paweł Lachman. – Its absence may reduce the efficiency of its operation by even more than 30%, and yet heat pumps without a regulator are subsidized in Poland. Therefore, I recommend that national subsidy programs require that the heat pump be equipped with a weather controller in every case.
