Bridging the gap between heat pump certifications
Why Eurovent Certification’s ‘Combined Track’ approach to certifying heat pumps is changing the market for manufacturers and decision makers
If you are a manufacturer of residential or light commercial heat pumps, there’s a good chance that certification feels like a logistical obstacle course. Different target countries, different applications, different tests, different audits and different timelines all combine for schemes that often have many parts that are similar.
Likewise, those using the data to make purchase, design and installation decisions need figures that are reliable, comparable, and consistent across markets. However, they often have to track this data down, either from the manufacturer itself or one of the various certification databases.
This is exactly where Eurovent Certification’s ‘Combined Track’ comes in.
Rather than adding yet another certification scheme to an already crowded landscape, the Combined Track simplifies what already exists. It brings multiple recognised heat pump certifications together into one coordinated process, without compromising on technical rigour or market recognition, all while increasing data accessibility.
Why do manufacturers certify under different marks?
Most heat pump manufacturers operate in multiple markets. For example, to access country specific Government incentives manufacturers may need to join NF mark in France, or MCS in UK, or products may need to hold certifications such as Eurovent Certified Performance or KEYMARK to be considered during some tender processes.
In addition, different certification marks cover different technologies, meaning that manufacturers may need to be certified under different schemes to cover their full product range (see table 1).
But certifying under different marks can be expensive, time consuming and complicated – when certifications are handled separately, the same work is repeated again and again:
- Similar tests run multiple times
- Documentation prepared and resubmitted for each scheme
- Factories audited repeatedly.
When certifications are handled individually, those overlaps are not used to anyone’s advantage.
Table 1: Heat pump technologies certified according to scheme
| Heat Pump type | Eurovent-HP Global certification mark |
MCS-007 UK certification mark |
NF414, 462 French certification mark |
HP Keymark European certification mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air-to-air | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air-to-water | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air-to-ground | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Water-to-air | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Water-to-water | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water-to-ground | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Brine-to-air | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Brine-to-water | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brine-to-water on solar loop | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ground-to-water | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ground-to-ground | ✓ | ✓ |
Connection not duplication
This is where Eurovent Certification plays a unique role. With more than 30 years of experience, it is licensed to certify products under the major heat pump certification schemes - Eurovent Certified Performance, KEYMARK, NF and MCS.
Rather than treating these schemes as isolated processes, Eurovent works in collaboration with other certification bodies to create a bridge between certifications. Central to this has been ensuring the Technical Certification Rules of the Eurovent Certified Performance and NF mark align not only with market demands, but the requirements of the other certification programmes - creating a harmonised approach that doesn’t replace existing schemes, but connects them more intelligently.
What is the Combined Track?
In simple terms, the Combined Track brings multiple heat pump certifications together under one coordinated process. Instead of managing separate applications, data evaluations, tests and audits, manufacturers follow a single streamlined pathway that can lead to multiple certifications, including:
- Eurovent Certified Performance (Eurovent-HP)
- Heat Pump Keymark (HPKM)
- NF for heat pumps (NF414)
- NF for hybrid heat pumps (NF462)
- MCS for heat pumps (MCS007).
Each scheme still delivers its own certificate and publishes its own official data. What changes is how you get there. Eurovent Certification acts as the central coordinator, aligning documentation, testing and audits wherever possible.
How does it work?
One application, one documentation package
Instead of preparing different files for different schemes, manufacturers submit a single, comprehensive documentation package that serves multiple certifications.
One coordinated sample selection
The same product samples are selected and tested across schemes wherever technically possible. That means fewer units to manufacture, transport, and manage.
Fewer duplicated test points
When several schemes require the same or equivalent performance measurements, those tests are performed once - and the results are shared across certifications.
Joined-up factory audits
Rather than hosting multiple audit visits, manufacturers benefit from joined-up audits, where one factory visit can cover the requirements of several schemes.
The result is a process that is simpler to manage, easier to plan, and far more efficient.
What manufacturers gain from the Combined Track
The benefits are practical and measurable:
- Shorter certification timelines thanks to fewer duplicated steps
- Lower overall costs, with savings on testing, samples, logistics and audits
- Less internal workload, with one main point of contact and fewer parallel processes
- Greater flexibility, with the option to combine heat pump certification with audits for other products such as air conditioners, VRF systems or fans.
Plus, the Combined Track does not stop at the main heat pump certifications. It also supports recognition or extensions toward additional schemes and listings, such as:
- ZUM List (for air-to-water heat pumps) – Poland
- EHPA Quality Label – Europe wide
- Energy Technology List (ETL) – UK
- Product Characteristics Database (PCDB) – UK.
In many cases, this requires only additional documentation or minimal additional targeted tests, building on the work already completed within the Eurovent Certification process.
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Why the Combined Track also matters to data users
Certification is not only about manufacturers. It is also about the people who rely on certified data every day. At its core, the Combined Track delivers two essential benefits: centralisation and consistency.
Because data is verified through a harmonised process and published by an independent certification body, users can:
- Compare products within each programme from a single database – the Certified Product Directory
- Trust that performance data is consistent between schemes
- Reduce the risk of conflicting or misleading information.
In a market where decisions increasingly depend on reliable performance data, the Combined Track provides a central resource where verified, accurate data is consistent across markets, publicly available and easily accessible.
A smarter way forward
The drive to Net Zero is expanding heat pump markets, and with that growth comes more regulation, more schemes and more complexity. The Eurovent Combined Track does not try to eliminate this complexity. Instead, it organises it.
By bringing multiple certifications together into a single, coordinated process, it offers:
- Faster access to multiple markets for manufacturers
- Lower costs and reduced duplication
- Reliable, consistent data for those who depend on it.
For manufacturers, the Combined Track means fewer obstacles and more focus on what really matters: product performance and market growth.
For data users, it means confidence - knowing that the data they rely on has been verified through a robust, independent, and harmonised process, enabling informed comparison across models and brands.
And for the market as a whole, it represents a smarter, more efficient approach to certification - one that matches the ambitions of the energy transition itself.
Want to find out more about the Combined Track?
Email Olesya Shakhter, Heat Pump Project Manager
View our certification programmes
Eurovent Certified Performance (Eurovent-HP)
NF for hybrid heat pumps (NF462)
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