Soaring gas prices in the last 12 months have triggered a surge of interest in switching to heat pumps, according to figures from installation specialists Techniek Nederland.

So far this year 110,000 households have been fitted in Dutch homes, almost as many as in the whole of 2022.

Techniek Nederland expects the number to hit 170,000 by the end of the year, including 120,000 in existing homes. It would be the first time that the number of homes switching to heat pumps exceeds the number installed in newbuild houses.

Hybrid heat pumps – which combine a heat pump with a central heating boiler – are the most popular type, as they cut gas use by around 60%.

From 2026 households will be required by law to install a hybrid pump when they replace their boiler.

Installers also said waiting times had come down since last year, when householders were having to wait for up to 12 months because of problems with the supply of chip components and the effect of coronavirus restrictions.

“We still have delivery times of around three months,” Martin Hoekstra of Nieuwpoort-based ST/Warme told RTL Nieuws.