Dunno about all Europe, but I visited a few recently built apartments in Belgium lately and all of them have heat pumps, this is the only way one can get the A energy efficiency ratings.
Heat pumps work as aircos or heaters but are more efficient.
Heat pumps work as aircos or heaters but are more efficient.
Anecdata, but our A-rated apartment in Belgium rides heatwaves like it's nothing. We're on the last floor and in the corner of a building that gets sun from midday to sundown. A floor fan to move air around and that's it, the building's built-in ventilation and good insulation keep us going. It gets to 26C inside max, and that's after 2–3 weeks of outside temps above 32C (after the brick mass has absorbed too much heat that radiates inwards). In winter we barely need heating.
I had a proper split system AC before and it's a different thing entirely. Press a button and have a flow of freezing cold air in the face.
In France, tax credits were denied for air-to-air heat pumps that could also cool (which they all can).