Brussels, 14 November 2025 - For the occasion of the media tour (14/10/25) at the Daikin Europe Research and Development Center in Ghent, Belgium, Daikin brought together experts from policy, academia, industry, and technology to discuss how urban challenges can be turned into climate opportunities, focusing on the pivotal role of heat pumps in this transition. This press summary outlines the views of each speaker, based on the thoughts they shared during this live conversation.
Moderator: Patrick Crombez, Head of Environmental Readiness at Daikin Europe, and President EHPA
Participants:
Filip Watteeuw, Alderman Climate and Energy at the City of Ghent
Michel De Paepe, Professor Applied Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer at Ghent University
Aurélie Beauvais, Managing Director of Euroheat & Power
Peter Anderberg, CEO and founder of HEATNET Global
Laurent Van Thournout, Deputy General Manager EDC at Daikin Europe
Press contacts for each are included below.
Dense urban areas: powerful engines for low-carbon transformation
Despite the inherent complexity of urban environments, which are marked by fragmented ownership, aging infrastructure, regulatory constraints, and high energy demands, cities remain powerful engines for low-carbon transformation. Their density, far from being a barrier, is a strategic asset: it enables efficient infrastructure deployment, shared heating systems, and scalable innovation that can rapidly reduce emissions and improve quality of life.
Urban areas concentrate people, buildings, and services, making them ideal for clean energy individual or collective HP-based solutions such as district heating and cooling and smart retrofitting. Dense cities offer the opportunity to leverage complexity - not avoid it - by aligning policy, technology, and finance to accelerate the shift toward zero-emission buildings and climate-resilient infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the single family homes, but extends so much further than that: think of the municipalities’ own public and social housing buildings, co-working and office buildings, commercial spaces or buildings with mixed residential and commercial spaces. Also data centers, warehouses, hospitals and so on are an integral part of the urban areas and most of the time have high needs for heating and cooling.
Panel takeaways
- Heat Pump technology evolution: Over the past decade, heat pump systems have advanced in efficiency, refrigerants, and digital controls. Their ability to both heat and cool using renewable electricity makes them central to urban decarbonisation goals.
- City of Ghent’s approach: Ghent’s strategy includes supporting installer training, stimulating market growth, improving the customer journey, and forming strategic alliances with industry and academia.
- Public-private partnerships: Effective decarbonisation requires alignment of policies, incentives, technical standards, and shared innovation between municipalities and private companies.
- Retrofitting existing buildings: Cities can minimise disruption by using modular, easy-to-install heat pump systems and supporting both centralized district heating and decentralized, building-level solutions.
- Financial & policy incentives: Grants, tax credits, streamlined regulations, and educational outreach are critical for encouraging large-scale retrofits, especially in older or historical buildings. Transitioning to
- Green skills & workforce development: There is a pressing need to bridge the skills gap through updated curricula, apprenticeship programs, industry partnerships, and lifelong learning to meet growing demand for green jobs.
- “Low-Hanging Fruit” Solutions: Wider adoption of air-to-air heat pumps, streamlined permitting, and increased public awareness are seen as immediate opportunities for accelerating decarbonisation. City of Ghent’s Alderman is considering establishing a Climate Company, helping stakeholders to make the move to low carbon heat pump heating.
Speaker highlights
Filip Watteeuw, Alderman Climate and Energy, City of Ghent
Vision and highlights of intervention on the panel:
Ghent’s goal is clear: by 2050, all homes must be heated without fossil fuels, guided by the “Gentse Warmtevisie”. Filip outlined several best practices:
Stimulating Market Growth: Encouraging more installers and expanding options for residents.
Supporting Installers: Training and support to boost installer confidence and expertise in recommending and fitting heat pumps.
Improving the Customer Journey: Transparent quotes and guidance for homeowners, reducing uncertainty and building trust.
Climate justice: Energy-efficient social housing is the best integrated tool in the fight against (energy) poverty, that’s why Ghent gives additional resources for the social housing company ‘Thuispunt Gent’ to accelerate the transition to fossil-free social housing.
Collaboration: Strategic alliances with Daikin and UGent to drive innovation and adoption.
A low hanging fruit is to look at how to accelerate electrification, and manage grid demand-response and pricing so vulnerable groups can be supported to get everyone on board:
Electrification will accelerate to achieve CO₂ reduction targets by 2030 and 2050. This requires substantial investments in local production, storage, and smart control to guarantee a reliable energy grid. The city of Ghent is investigating how energy savings and smart infrastructure management can limit peak consumption, reduce costs, and support vulnerable target groups. In collaboration with the grid operator, Ghent is striving for a resilient, affordable, and fair energy system.
Quote: “We are shifting from large, centralised systems to a decentralised, green energy approach. By comparing the costs and the benefits of central and local systems - such as shared geothermal networks and individual heat pumps - we aim to identify the most efficient and fair path forward. This transition promotes co-ownership, community heating, and collaboration with knowledge institutions and private partners, making fossil-free heating faster, more affordable, and inclusive."
Aurélie Beauvais, Euroheat & Power
Vision and highlights of intervention on the panel:
Aurélie examined the financial and regulatory environment, advocating for strong policy measures such as grants, tax relief, affordable loans, and simplified rules to drive retrofitting—particularly in older and heritage properties. She emphasised that education and awareness campaigns are vital to dispel misconceptions and boost uptake. Additionally, she pointed out that well-supported local heating and cooling strategies are key to speeding up the implementation of sustainable district energy networks, highlighting the need for adequate financial and human resources for local authorities.
She deplored the negative impact of fluctuating regulations, which raise investment costs and make it harder for local governments and operators to secure funding. Aurélie proposed that heating strategies should be insulated from day-to-day political changes, underpinned by cross-party consensus, to ensure consistent policies and foster confidence among all those involved in the transition.
As for easily achievable opportunities, Aurélie underlined the vast potential of waste heat recovery to rapidly reduce reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling. With existing technologies—such as large-scale heat pumps and district heating and cooling systems—this readily available resource could be harnessed on a much wider scale. Recent research estimates that surplus heat accessible within the EU totals 2,860 TWh per year, which matches the entire energy demand for heating and hot water in EU residential and service sector buildings. The forthcoming EU heating and cooling strategy, anticipated in spring 2026, could provide significant momentum for unlocking this opportunity.
Media Quote: “If we want to accelerate the energy transition in Europe, we need stable policies. Crucially, these policies should be backed by broad cross-party consensus, ensuring that progress is not derailed by political cycles or changes in government. Only with clear, enduring rules and well-supported local authorities, can we make sustainable heating and cooling accessible to everyone.”
Peter Anderberg, HEATNET Global
Vision and highlights of intervention on the panel:
Peter emphasised the need for a mix of centralised (district) and decentralised (building-level) solutions, with modular heat pump systems that minimise disruption during retrofits. He championed co-ownership models and community heating initiatives to overcome barriers and speed up the transition. Fast-tracking green skills development is vital, requiring scalable training programmes, support for SMEs, and public-private partnerships.
Low hanging fruit: Start with your home. Reducing heating consumption is like a weight-watcher program. Measure where you are and set a target. 5% by Christmas, another 5% by Easter. There are plenty of solutions which are not difficult nor expensive to implement. Hard to start, but easier once you see results. And it’s not about starving or freezing. It’s about becoming aware.
Media Quote: Peter Anderberg believes the industry must think differently about product development. “Manufacturers should focus on simplicity, standardising parts, and adopting modular designs. As I often say, we need a ‘LEGO’ mindset: energy systems should be made up of ready-to-use modules that fit together easily, even for non-experts. This cuts down on errors, which is especially important in the UK where poor installations have hurt heat pumps’ reputation.
“Every time a system is installed incorrectly, it makes the headlines, leading people to think, ‘I’d rather not have a heat pump’. Innovation shouldn’t just be about the product, but about the process. How can we make it simpler, cheaper and less dependent on consultants? I believe more ‘copy and paste’ and less complexity is the key to really accelerating development,” he says.
Professor Michel De Paepe, UGent
Vision and highlights of intervention on the panel:
Professor De Paepe highlighted the remarkable advancements in heat pump technology over the past decade, including efficiency gains, improved refrigerants, and digital controls. He stressed that heat pumps’ ability to both heat and cool using renewable electricity makes them crucial for urban decarbonisation. Their versatility means they can be integrated into any kind of building, supporting city-wide climate goals. The skills gap remains a pressing challenge, making education and training in technical, digital, and interdisciplinary fields more important than ever.
Laurent Van Thournout, Daikin Europe
Vision and highlights of intervention on the panel:
Laurent referred to Daikin’s broad product range, diverse types of heat pumps: from air-to-air, air-to-water, water-to-air, and water-to-water heat pumps – they can all be the right solution for a specific building context, whether for single family homes, commercial buildings or collective housing. He argued that flexibility is essential, as urban environments require diverse solutions. R&D will continue to drive innovation, focusing on modular, interoperable technologies and digital platforms that enable both district and decentralised systems to coexist efficiently.
Low hanging fruit: make more use of air-to-air heat pumps (air conditioners) for heating. Especially in mid-seasons these are very energy efficient, low carbon heating solutions. Another mind-set he sees as important is to “just do it”: develop, experiment and identify scalable solutions. For this, Daikin sees great benefits in cooperating with cities like the city of Ghent, as they are an ideal testing ground for this.
Media Quote: “Urban heating and cooling solutions demand flexibility and innovation. By developing modular, interoperable heat pump technologies and digital platforms, we can adapt to any city’s unique needs. Collaborating with cities like Ghent allows us to experiment, refine, and scale solutions that accelerate the transition to low-carbon living.”
Patrick Crombez, Daikin Europe & President, EHPA (Moderator)
Patrick set the scene by emphasising that cities, with their dense populations and infrastructure, are not just part of the climate challenge but are central to the solution. He underscored the importance of leveraging urban density for efficient deployment of heating and cooling technology and highlighted the collaborative spirit of the panel, covering policy, technology, and real-world solutions.
Patrick closed with a unifying message: “Transitioning to net zero heating and cooling is not a question of ‘if’, but ‘how fast’. Europe has the tools - now it’s about accelerating deployment, together.”
Contact for further information
Filip Watteeuw, City of Ghent. Media contact: De Meulenaere Jesse - jesse.demeulenaere@stad.gent and Sabine Van Belle - Sabine.VanBelle@stad.gent
Professor Michel De Paepe, UGent. Media contact: Michel De Paepe
Aurélie Beauvais, Euroheat & Power. Media contact: Diana El Malaki Hossain - de@euroheat.org
Peter Anderberg, HEATNET Global. Media contact: peter.anderberg@heatnetglobal.com
Patrick Crombez, Daikin Europe & President EHPA and Laurent Van Thournout: Media contact: Sap Sofie - sap.s@daikineurope.com
About Daikin Europe N.V.
The Daikin Europe Group is a leading provider of heating, cooling, ventilation, air purification and refrigeration (HVAC-R) technology in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Daikin Europe caters to a diverse customer base within this region by designing, manufacturing, and marketing an extensive range of products, maintenance services, and turnkey solutions tailored for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The company employs over 13,800 employees through 58 subsidiaries and operates 15 manufacturing sites in Europe (12), Turkey (1) and the Middle East (2). Daikin’s refrigeration products are available under the Daikin, Tewis, Zanotti, Hubbard, and AHT brands. Headquartered in Ostend, Belgium, for over 50 years, the Daikin Europe group is a subsidiary of the global group Daikin Industries.
About Daikin Industries Ltd.
Daikin Industries (DIL) is a global leader in heat pump, air conditioning and air filtration technology. The company employes over 100,000 employees worldwide. Founded in Osaka in 1924, it is the only manufacturer in the world that develops and manufactures heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment, as well as compressors and refrigerants in-house. Daikin was named one of the world’s top 100 most innovative companies by Clarivate (UK) and LexisNexis (USA), recognized for its leadership in technology research and intellectual property patents. For its fiscal year 2024 Daikin reported a record sales result of € 28,98 billion sales (1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025).
Read more on www.daikin.eu and www.daikin.com.
Media Contacts Daikin Europe N.V.
Sofie Sap – T.: +32 472 580482 Mail: sap.s@daikineurope.com
Daisuke Kakinaga – T.: +32 465 462321 Mail: kakinaga.d@bxl.daikineurope.com
