The air conditioning market in Spain will grow by 21.3% in 2023

The report by AFEC, the Association of Air Conditioning Equipment Manufacturers, also points out that the evolution of sales of air source heat pumps (air and water, including those for the production of domestic hot water) continues to be positive. In 2023, air and water equipment will have gone from representing 20% in value terms in 2022, to having a weight in turnover of 18.3% of the total market for air conditioning, heat pumps and domestic hot water production equipment. Although it has increased in value, it has done so to a lesser extent than air-to-air equipment, so the percentage of the overall figure is somewhat lower.

As a whole, the number of heat pumps that are mainly used in heating mode, sold by manufacturers to the sell-in channel in 2023, increased by 14.2%. The evolution of sales of multi-task heat pumps (air-to-water, including domestic hot water production) was very positive during the first half of the year, and its evolution slowed down in the second half, closing 2023 with a positive growth of 7.5% in value. Although this growth is weaker than the comparison from 2022 to 2021, it still shows the rise of this technology as a sustainable, renewable and combined heating, cooling and domestic hot water production system.

Ventilation numbers showed a 20.5% increase in value in the residential sector, but a significant slowdown in the industrial and tertiary sectors. It is crucial and urgent to continue to raise awareness on the importance of ventilation and filtration systems, as well as their maintenance.

Regulation and control

Participants in the presentation of the report included Fernando Machicado, coordinator of organisations and institutions in the Spanish Association for Standardisation; and representing AFEC, president Francisco Perucho; the president of the market committee of air conditioning equipment, heat pumps and DHW production and former AFEC president, Luis Mena; and managing director Marta San Román.

During the meeting, the regulation and control market was discussed, highlighting that the technological evolution of smart and efficient air conditioning is driving the development of increasingly advanced metering, sensing, regulation and control systems; and that 2024 could see rising demand, driven by regulations, AI and IoT applications. The subsequent analysis of the possible scenarios that will accompany the sector in 2024 offered a vision that raises many opportunities, but also uncertainty and as many questions as answers.

Some concerns were pointed out, such as a less favourable economic environment, the frequent neglect of the need for ventilation of occupied spaces when building renovations are executed, the possibility that European green targets may be unrealistic, the timing mismatch of regulatory requirements and the tension that this may cause for investment decisions, etc. Another concern is the delay in the approval process of the Heat Pump Action Plan, which the European Commission had assured would be done at the beginning of 2024, and which will have to wait until after the European Parliament elections this June. AFEC has supported the initiative of the industry and European NGOs that demand an urgent approval and implementation of the Heat Pump Action Plan.

The session continued with a focus on the need to pursue decarbonised industrial development, with streamlined and simple administrative processes and local public administrations that embrace industry and society, and to strengthen a high value-added industry, highlighting the importance of securing investments from European manufacturers worth more than 7,000 million euros.

See the report: AFEC Market Report 2024