Turnover of specialized construction in the Netherlands 2021, by type of activity

In 2021, the specialized construction activity that generated the highest net turnover in the Netherlands was the plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation, at nearly 12 billion euros. This was closely followed by electrical installation, which had a net turnover of 10,772 million euros. In contrast, test drilling and boring was the activity that generated the lowest net turnover, with 19 million euros.

Specialized construction takes the lion’s share

The construction of buildings, infrastructure, and other civil engineering projects are often the most visible part of the industry. Meanwhile, specialized construction activities are often overlooked, even though they are essential throughout the whole lifecycle of a building. That includes earthworks and site preparation before the project starts, installations, painting and glazing to finish a building, and demolition when it can no longer be used. It is precisely because that segment encompasses such a wide range of activities that it makes up roughly half of the turnover of the construction industry in the Netherlands.

Heat pump installation on the rise

During the past years, heat pumps have been a booming segment within the HVAC industry. Although they only account for a small percentage of the overall energy consumption in the Netherlands, the usage of aerothermal heat from heat pumps has doubled between 2019 and 2022. One of the reasons for this growth in popularity is that they are more efficient and sustainable than other heating systems. Most of the heat pumps installed are aerothermal, which means that they extract heat from the air. However, the installed capacity of other types of heat pumps, primarily the geothermal ones, also have a significant market share.