In practice, heat pumps reduce consumption by 50%

The interim results of the Economee program confirm significant savings for the air-to-water heat pump

Economee measures the savings achieved through energy renovation directly on-site, by monitoring actual consumption changes using Linky and Gazpar meters. For the first households analyzed, the results observed are mostly positive, particularly for the air-to-water heat pump, which is living up to its promises.

The air-to-water heat pump lives up to its promises.

In the Economee study, the analysis of households that replaced a gas boiler (64% of cases) or oil boiler (25%) with an air-to-water heat pump shows that almost all of them saved energy thanks to this installation. One in two households even reduced their consumption by more than 50%.

However, a minority did not see their energy consumption decrease following the renovations. Interviews with these program participants helped explain these seemingly inconsistent cases in terms of savings. For example, the impact of a heat pump installed in a renovated house, where some rooms have become habitable, is negated by the additional area to be heated.

Air-to-air heat pumps: efficient, but with very varied uses

Regarding air-to-air heat pumps, the results are more mixed. On average, a household achieves approximately 20% energy savings. This variability is mainly due to the diversity of uses. Unlike air-to-water heat pumps, these units can be used as a primary heating source, as a supplementary heating solution, or even as an air conditioning system in the summer. This multiplicity of functions, often emphasized by the term "reversible air conditioner," leads to heterogeneous usage patterns. It is likely that air-to-air heat pumps are not fully utilized for heating, despite good performance in winter, which limits potential savings. These findings highlight the importance of providing support to households beyond the installation phase, as offered by the Economee program, and the need to supplement this initial study.

Methodology and next steps for Economee

These interim results are based on an innovative methodology being developed within the framework of the Economee program and overseen by ADEME and CSTB. For the first time, it makes it possible to monitor household energy consumption before and after renovations, integrating all energy sources used and taking into account changes in heating systems.

This new approach, however, involves demanding selection criteria and explains the small initial sample used[1]: only households with at least one year of data before work can be analyzed, and certain situations – unoccupied dwellings, extensions or successive works – must be excluded, which further limits the size of the sample.

These initial analyses nevertheless confirm a clear trend: heat pumps, and in particular air-to-water heat pumps, represent a powerful tool for reducing the overall energy consumption of homes. The next stages of the Economee program will allow these observations to be confirmed on a larger scale. The program is also seeking partners in the renovation sector who wish to offer their beneficiary households access to its online service, Economee, a service 100% funded by energy certificates.

An educational note with results on the heat pump will be published in the summer of 2026, with the final and overall study of the program then planned for 2027.

What is the Economee program?

Economee is a CEE (Energy Savings Certificates) program launched in 2024. It involves deploying an online service fully funded by the CEE scheme: any household receiving a CEE bonus for their renovation work can create a personal account, connect their smart meters, describe their renovations, and receive a calculation in euros of the energy savings achieved. More than 10.000 households use the platform.

[1] Air/Water heat pumps: 144 homes analyzed; Air/Air heat pumps: 61 homes analyzed

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.