In 2018 the Cooling Ceilings and Chilled Beams market in Europe (6 surveyed countries) recorded a stable increase of 4.2% in terms of value sales, reaching EUR 430.8 million. The sales volume also recorded an increase of 3.6% for cooling ceilings reaching more than 3.15 Million of square meter sold in 2018. The market is expected to continue to grow over the forecast period at an annual average rate of 5.8% to reach more than EUR 509 million in 2022.

France and Poland were the biggest markets for chilled beams in 2018, while Poland was the strongest growing market for chilled beams, recording almost 4% of increase in value between 2017 and 2018.

Metal is the dominant material.

In 2018 the metal material segment remained the strongest on the market with a share for cooling ceilings / chilled beams of 52.3% / 56.9% of the total value sales. Most of these units are composed of copper pipes. This segment accounted for 69.7% of the cooling ceilings and 85.44% of the chilled beams cover. The Plastic pipes (now becoming mostly Polypropylene) are also growing with a regular rate of 3.5% for the cooling ceilings and 1.8% for the chilled beams. The temperature resistance, the elasticity of the pipes and the conductivity of the heating / cooling are the main influencing factors here.

The markets are mostly concentrated.

Most of the countries are slightly concentrated with a top 10 companies representing between 75 to 90% of the sales value for cooling ceilings and chilled beams. The acquisition of the manufacturer Zent Frenger by Swegon in September 2018 is an illustration of that trend. The Italian market stays the least concentrated with a top 10 in value accounting for 63% of cooling ceilings and 63% of chilled beams in 2018.

Office remains the first application area.

The new construction segment recorded an increase of more than 3.5% in 2018 exceeding 2.3 Million of square meters covered. On the other hand, renovation is sharing a higher increase between the 2 products with more than 5% average growth until 2022.
In 2018 the office application area was the strongest in terms of quantity, accounting for more than 71% of the cooling ceilings cover in Europe while the commercial at the second place weighs for nearly 20% on both of the markets

The lack of knowledge about the product technology and the high prices are still nowadays one of the main barriers of higher growth compared to other HVAC solutions.

The development of the European market for ceilings with integrated cooling systems is at its best. Last year, sales rose by 4.0%, while the turnover increased by as much as 5.2%. Overall, growth in the studied countries (Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Austria, Switzerland) will increase even further, according to a new study by Interconnection Consulting.

New office buildings provide market momentum

The market volume last year was 261.1 million in the six countries and is expected to rise to around 320 million Euros by 2020, an average growth of 5.7% per year. The largest market is Germany with a volume of 81.9 million Euros. By 2020 the market volume should already reach the 100 million Euro border. The average growth in Germany will therefore amount to 5.1% in the coming years. The new building sector in particular has gained momentum as a result of the increasing construction projects in the office sector in Germany, accounting for 75.9% of total business.

Switzerland is the emperor of growth

Growth in Austria will increase even more strongly than in Germany. Last year, the increase amounted to 5.7% and is expected to rise to 6.2% annually by 2020. The forecasts in Switzerland are even more optimistic. In the state of perpetual neutrality, the sales volume alone is predicted to grow by 6.3% in the coming years. Italy will also be able to overcome the stagnation of recent years with an average annual growth rate of 3.4% by 2020. The low-maintenance ceiling cooling systems benefit from their low operating costs compared to conventional heating and cooling systems. Combination possibilities with elements for the improvement of the room acoustics are added, explains Jan Hudak, author of the study.

Metal cassettes remain lonely at the top

The largest product group is the metal cooling system with a market share of 61.5%, followed by plaster with 34.9%. In Germany, the proportion of metal is even higher than the European average (64.1%). However, gypsum is the material group with the strongest growth (+ 6.5% annually). In Poland and Italy, gypsum is already the most common material. The strongest application for refrigeration systems is in the office sector with a share of 71.4%. This is followed by trade (5.6%) and industry (3.6%).

Regionality is preceded by internationality

In all countries, the market concentration is much lower than in the individual countries, which is a sign that the market is still strongly regional. The market concentration of ceiling cooling systems is very high in the largest market in Europe (i.e. in Germany). The top 10 companies share 78.2% of the total market. The concentration in the new area (81.6%) is even stronger than in the German market as a whole. On the other hand, the market is more competitive in the renovation sector, where the top 10 companies account for about 70 percent of the market. Major companies in the industry are Aquinno, Denco Happel, Eurotherm, Messana and Uponor.