Europe’s Energy Jitters Are Fueling a Rush for Solar Panels and Heat Pumps

The New York Times and H&VNews contributed to this report.

Europe’s latest energy shock is pushing households toward a familiar conclusion: relying on imported fossil fuels is getting expensive – and risky.

For the second time in less than five years, war has rattled energy markets across the continent. This time, conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have sent gas and oil prices climbing again, reviving memories of the chaos that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Consumers aren’t waiting around to see how bad it gets. They’re buying electric vehicles, installing rooftop solar and swapping gas boilers for heat pumps at a pace that’s catching policymakers and energy companies by surprise.

Across Europe, more than 344,000 electric vehicles were registered in March alone, up over 40% from a year earlier, according to industry data. Sales of heat pumps jumped too. About 575,000 units were sold across 11 European countries in the first quarter, a 17% rise year over year, with especially strong demand in France, Germany and Poland.

Some companies are seeing the surge firsthand. Austrian installer Heizma said March and April were its strongest months on record. Customer inquiries climbed 20% as households worried about energy security and spiraling utility bills.

Since fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz were heavily disrupted, European natural gas prices have jumped roughly 40%. That has sharpened fears that households are once again vulnerable to geopolitical events far beyond Europe’s borders.

“Everyone now knows electrification makes sense,” said Heizma co-founder Michael Kowatschew. “It makes a lot of sense to switch to heat pumps, to solar and green electricity.”

The mood has shifted noticeably since the Ukraine crisis. Back then, Europe scrambled to replace Russian gas with supplies from elsewhere, especially the United States. Prices eventually eased, governments poured billions into subsidies and consumer urgency faded.

This time feels different for many households.

“People are seeing they are one Trump-ignited war away from very expensive heating bills,” said Elisabetta Cornago, an energy policy expert at the Centre for European Reform.

That anxiety is showing up in buying patterns. Germany’s E.ON said inquiries about residential solar systems have doubled in recent months. In Britain, Octopus Energy reported a 50% jump in solar panel sales.

British solar installer Green Way Solar says demand has exploded. Last autumn, the company received roughly 10 inquiries a week. Now, it can field 20 in a single day.

Clients, managing director Danny Hirst said, are exhausted by the constant swings in energy prices.

“They’re just getting fed up with the uncertainty,” he said.

Governments are also trying to make the transition easier. Britain plans to allow plug-in balcony solar panels that can be sold in supermarkets and online, offering a cheaper alternative to full rooftop installations. Carmakers are lowering prices too. Volkswagen recently unveiled a new electric vehicle priced below €25,000.

Still, the boom comes with caveats.

Europe has seen this cycle before. Interest in renewables surged after the 2022 energy crisis, then cooled once gas prices stabilized and governments shielded consumers with broad energy subsidies. Analysts worry policymakers could repeat the same mistake by making fossil fuel costs temporarily easier to bear instead of doubling down on long-term electrification.

There are also practical hurdles. Installing solar panels or heat pumps can take weeks or months because of permitting delays, contractor shortages and subsidy paperwork. In Austria, heat pump demand actually fell earlier this year after government incentives briefly dried up.

That uncertainty has made some companies cautious about expanding too quickly. Heizma, founded just two years ago, is focusing more on streamlining installations than aggressive hiring. The company is trying to cut installation times so workers can fit two heat pumps a week instead of one.

Even with the risks, business is booming. Heizma generated around €2 million in revenue in April alone.

For Europe’s clean-energy industry, another geopolitical crisis has turned into a powerful sales pitch.