China is set to promote broader development and use of heat pumps, implementing a 2030 target of increasing the energy-efficiency level of key products by more than 20%, according to a government action plan released on April 2.
The new action plan outlines efforts to encourage expanded heat pump adoption, including use in public buildings such as schools and hospitals, as well as in the industrial, agricultural, and transport sectors.
A heat pump warms or cools an indoor space by moving heat from one place to another, much like a two-way air conditioner. It extracts heat from the air or ground outside, channeling it indoors to warm the space. In hot weather, it uses a reverse valve to cool the air.
Heat pumps run on electricity and are highly efficient, using one unit of electricity to move three to four units of heat. In its 2024 report on energy technologies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) classed heat pumps as one of six key clean-energy technologies critical to the global energy transition, alongside solar PV, wind power, electric vehicles, electrolysers and batteries.
A report by the IEA and Tsinghua University last year projected that, if China were to fulfil its announced climate pledges, the associated increase in electrification and energy efficiency will mean heat pumps could be responsible for a nearly 76% fall in direct CO2 emissions from heating of buildings in the country, from 290 million tonnes in 2022 to just 70 million tonnes by 2050.
In the shorter term, the switch to heat pumps is also expected to reduce air pollution significantly if taking place alongside a phase-out of coal and traditional biomass for heating. PM2.5 emissions from home heating could be cut by nearly 80% by 2030, the report noted.
Several regions in northern China are already incorporating heat pumps into their clean heating policies. During last year’s heating season, Beijing offered subsidies covering 40% of the cost, capped at CNY 6,000 (USD 816) per household, for residents in rural villages to upgrade to low-temperature air-source heat pump water heaters meeting specific performance standards.
Heat pump technology has made strides in China in recent years. According to a government analysis of the action plan, equipment costs have nearly halved, and stable operating temperatures now reach as low as -35C – a significant improvement from the -15C limit seen in the past. Heat transmission distances have also extended from 10-20 km to as much as 60-100 km, it noted. The increased transmission distance is essential for transporting waste heat from industrial sources and nuclear power plants on the outskirts to urban areas, playing a crucial role in providing clean heating for cities.
Read Dialogue Earth’s previous reporting on sustainable solutions to help tackle extreme heat in South Asia.