Natural gas and solar collectors come on top as the preferred solutions when replacing heating systems in Poland

In the recent years, Poland has seen the dynamic growth of state-of-the-art heating systems, which start to play an increasingly important role. At the same time, despite the fact that market novelties attract significant attention, the existing heating systems (coal-based and district heating systems) still enjoy a well-established market position.

The country’s geographical position and climate predestine Poland to have obligatory permanent heating systems in place in all types of buildings used by people. As demonstrated in the findings of the research company PMR report entitled “HVAC market in Poland 2012– Development forecasts for 2012-2014”, for the purposes of which the company conducted a survey on a sample of 300 installation companies, new types of heating systems gain popularity among investors. The rising costs of heating and the need to upgrade old heating systems force their users to replace the existing facilities and upgrade heat source equipment.
The results of the survey conducted among the companies dealing with the installation of heating systems reveal some changes in trends concerning the use of heating solutions. The companies were asked a series of questions, such as: which heating systems are replaced the most frequently and what the best options for new systems there are.
The responses provided by the surveyed companies show that gas heating is the most popular choice when replacing heating systems. On a five-grade scale where 1 stands for “very rarely” and 5 means “very frequently”, gas heating was given 4 pts. for the frequency of choice and only 1.78 for resignation from the solution. The direct reasons why investors exhibited a preference for gas systems is the convenience of use, an easy access to the gas grid and, despite price fluctuations, the fact that gas remains a relatively cheap source of energy. Renewable sources of energy also enjoy high favour of the market. Solar collectors and heat pumps are the most popular choice for heating tap water, which are also among relatively frequently selected advanced heating solutions. When answering this question, nearly 70% of the surveyed companies indicated solar collectors. There has not been a dedicated government programme on heat pumps yet to promote the use of this solution, but they enjoy increasingly widespread attention – nearly 60% of installation companies noted the growth in popularity for the use of heat pumps.
Electric and oil-based heating systems are at the opposite end of the scale, showing the poorest results. The surveyed installers indicated that they are the systems for which resignations are frequent, while investors choosing them as a new source of heat are few and far between. High operating costs are the main reason why these solutions are frequently given up and, at the same time, rarely selected as a new system.

Traditional heating systems, which are typical for Poland, are ranked in the middle of the range. Due to a widespread access to central heating systems based on local heating and power plants, combined with relatively low costs, this option still rates high on popularity and it is rarely given up. It is estimated that district heating caters for approx. 53% of demand for heat, while on the average, one out of three new housing units is connected to a district heating system. Coal-fuelled stoves are the traditional source of heat for individual homes not connected to heating grids. In this segment, some sort of stabilisation still remains. Although many users give up coal stoves, considering them inconvenient, there are many people who install advanced coal stoves in upgraded dwellings.
It turns out that the main factors driving the choice of a heating system are, according to the surveyed installers, the quality of the device, the manufacturer’s reputation, the price and maintenance costs. This pattern is reflected by the structure of the solutions which are the most often given up and those which are preferred as a new heating system.

This press release is based on information contained in the latest PMR report entitled “HVAC market in Poland 2012– Development forecasts for 2012-2014”.

For more information on the report please contact:
Marketing Department:
tel. /48/ 12 618 90 00
e-mail: marketing@pmrcorporate.com

PMR (www.pmrcorporate.com) is a British-American company providing market information, advice and services to international businesses interested in Central and Eastern European countries as well as other emerging markets. PMR's key areas of operation include business publications (through PMR Publications), consultancy (through PMR Consulting) and market research (through PMR Research). Being present on the market since 1995, employing highly skilled staff, offering high international standards in projects and publications, providing one of most frequently visited and top-ranked websites, PMR is one of the largest companies of its type in the region.

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This release was published on openPR.