Miguel Rodrigo (IDAE): Heat pumps accelerate decarbonisation and strengthen energy sovereignty

The Heat Pump Forum, promoted by AFEC, analysed the future of thermal electrification in Spain and the heat pump as an asset for energy security and grid flexibility. The conference brought together government officials, the electricity sector, the renewable energy sector and industry leaders to discuss the strategic role of this technology in the new energy model.

The meeting was opened by Miguel Rodrigo, Director General of the IDAE, who highlighted the turning point in the Spanish energy system and the opportunity for heat pumps to accelerate decarbonisation, increase efficiency and strengthen energy sovereignty. This was followed by a panel discussion with the participation of Jacobo Llerena, Deputy Director General for Energy Efficiency at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO); Marina Serrano, President of the Association of Electrical Energy Companies (AELEC); Luis Mena, President of the AFEC Heat Pump Statistics Committee; and Santiago Gómez, President of the Association of Renewable Energy Companies (APPA Renovables).

In a context marked by the revision of energy market rules after the "regulatory disappointment" of the summer of 2025, the speakers agreed that the heat pump represents a strategic tool for balancing renewable supply and demand, reducing dependence on gas and strengthening the resilience of the electricity system. "We are moving towards a much more complex system in which the consumer has a leading role. Making networks more flexible and recognising this contribution will be essential,” Marina Serrano stressed. Jacobo Llerena recalled that the new regulatory framework must support this transformation with appropriate signals, citing the revision of the Primary Energy Factor (PEF) as a key element to align building certification with electrification targets. "The revision for 2030 will reduce the factor, and that will send more consistent and positive price signals," he said.

Luis Mena warned about the impact of regulatory uncertainty on manufacturers and consumer adoption: "The industry is ready; the barrier is no longer technical, but regulatory. We need certainty and coherence between the different legislative pillars.” And from the renewable sector, Santiago Gómez highlighted the role of heat pumps in the management of solar and wind energy surpluses and in the integration of energy communities: "If we combine self-consumption and collective heat pumps, we achieve savings, local flexibility and absolute efficiency.”

Strategic asset

The second part of the discussion focused on the evolution of the heat pump from efficient technology to a strategic system asset. Marina Serrano insisted on the triple contribution of the heat pump to efficiency, energy security and flexibility, stressing that "the war in Europe made us realise that we cannot take energy security for granted; in this context, the heat pump helps to reinforce it because it does not depend on the volatility of fossil fuels". The dialogue concluded with a joint call to align policy, regulation, grids and market to unlock the true value of this technology. “The motorway is built; now we need more vehicles to use it,” Mena summarised.

Meanwhile, international guest speaker Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at Oxford University and Senior Associate at Cambridge University, showed evidence of how heat pumps are already being used in Europe as demand management and thermal storage tools, capable of reducing the contribution to peak load by up to 30% through optimisation strategies and hourly tariffs. "The electricity systems of the future will not only be built with renewable generation, but also with smart consumption," he said. The expert recalled that more than two thirds of European electricity already come from non-fossil sources, which reinforces the environmental competitiveness of heat pumps compared to gas. "Electrification of heat not only reduces emissions: it increases Europe's resilience and energy independence," he concluded.

New energy paradigm

The last session, moderated by Marta San Román, Director General of AFEC, brought Rosenow together with Francisco Perucho, President of AFEC, in an interactive format that invited questions about the present and future of the sector. Issues such as the administrative congestion of electricity grids, economic and knowledge barriers to heat pump deployment, the need for a stable and predictable regulatory framework, and the competitiveness of the European industry were addressed.

Francisco Perucho stressed that "the heat pump is the technology that best embodies the new energy paradigm: it combines efficiency, electrification and sovereignty. But it needs a framework that turns talk into action.” And Rosenow closed with an optimistic message: "Progress always seems impossible until it happens. The history of the European energy transition shows that solutions are accelerated when we believe them to be possible. The heat pump is one of them.”