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  1. EU IF25 Heat Auction: 22 May — 65 projects, ~€396M, 10 Member States
  2. Commission confirms second industrial heat auction later in 2026 (19 May)
  3. EHPA: ~575k residential units in 11 EU countries in Q1 2026, ~+17% YoY
  4. NDRC/FAS 2026/550: revised energy-label catalog; key rules from 1 Jun 2026
  5. 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Vienna, 26–29 May (~380 submissions)
Policy

Policy & Regulation

  • China’s NDRC and SAMR issued the 2026 catalogue of products subject to energy-efficiency labelling and revised implementation rules (FAS 2026/550, published 30 Apr 2026), covering seven groups including domestic refrigerators, washing machines, indoor and road/tunnel LED lighting, projectors, solar water heaters, range hoods, and ventilation fans—many effective from 1 Jun 2026, with transitional labelling for goods placed on the market before that date as set out in the notice. HVAC and heat-pump firms should assess knock-on effects on retail messaging, channel inventory, and “Grade 1” efficiency claims; verify all dates and product scopes on the NDRC website.
  • EHPA and partners published a joint letter on 13 May 2026 on energy security and affordability in a new geopolitical era, stressing fossil-fuel exposure and urging rapid delivery of EU crisis-plan tools for heat pumps (VAT/tax relief, social leasing). A 12 May letter on accelerating flexible electrification demand links buildings, transport, and industry to clean, dispatchable systems—aligning with heat pumps as flexible demand resources.
Markets

Market & Industry

  • EHPA reported on 4 May 2026 that residential heat-pump sales in 11 European countries reached about 575,000 units in Q1 2026, up ~17% from ~494,000 in Q1 2025; France, Germany, and Poland averaged ~25% growth, including the period after March Strait of Hormuz tensions lifted gas and oil prices. Austria fell ~30% amid weak subsidies. This quarterly lens differs from IEA’s 2025 full-year global ~-2% figure—do not conflate. Press coverage (e.g. Euronews, 13 May) notes heat pumps reached ~48% of new heating systems sold in Germany in 2025 vs ~44% for gas boilers, citing EHPA preliminary data.
  • The European Commission announced IF25 Heat Auction results on 22 May 2026: 65 projects awarded nearly €400 million across ten Member States, spanning pulp & paper, glass, ceramics, construction materials, steel, food, textiles, and pharmaceuticals, with high- and medium-temperature topics funded at roughly €62.1M and €334.4M respectively. On 19 May the Commission confirmed a second industrial heat auction later in 2026; EHPA welcomed the signal and called for earlier timelines, thresholds below the current ~3 MW minimum, and simpler applications to widen participation (e.g. food sector).
Standards

Standards & Compliance

  • Ahead of FAS 2026/550, manufacturers should plan relabelling, testing, and print runs for inventory before 1 Jun 2026, noting tighter Grade-1 thresholds for products such as domestic refrigerators under the revised rules—marketing and tender responses must match registered models and test reports to avoid mixed-standard disputes.
  • This site’s Industrial Heat Pump Standards quick reference (heat-pump-standards.html) was refreshed on 22 May 2026 against public sources, including SAC/TC238 system-map excerpts added from 11 May; GB/T 10891-2025 entries align with the week-20 conformity window. Project applicability and mandatory clauses remain subject to the current official standard text.
Tech

Technology & Demonstrations

  • EHPA’s 18 May 2026 focus on AI and energy-system digitalisation highlights multimodal forecasting, multi-source optimisation, and stack-wide control for heat pumps and integrated energy systems amid rising variable renewables—complementing week-20 SKILLSAFE / SKILLS4HP workforce tracks. For industrial high-temperature heat pumps, see this site’s Taiyuan HTHP 2026 trend panel and IIR Technical Brief No. 61 (week 19).
Dates

Coming up

  • 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference: 26–29 May 2026, Hofburg, Vienna—theme “Decarbonisation through Innovation”; ~380 scientific submissions per the official site; 26 May IEA HPT Annex workshops and site visits, main programme from 27 May with policy and industry plenaries, exhibition, and a policy forum on 28 May. Standard registration closed 15 May; program and visa letters at hpc2026.org.
  • ISH Shanghai & CIHE 2026 remains scheduled for Autumn 2026 at SNIEC (often with IGB co-located shows); Chillventa 2026 Nuremberg is widely penciled for about 13–15 Oct 2026. Re-check dates on messefrankfurt.com and chillventa.de before travel.