1. Regulations

Heat pumps are generally subject to the same regulations as refrigeration equipment; these regulations stem from international agreements or are developed at the national, regional, or local level. They are also subject to the unified technical documents (DTUs) pertaining to the applications in which they are used (e.g., heating, domestic hot water production, etc.).

These texts are organized according to a hierarchical structure, in which each higher level takes precedence over the lower levels (Figure 1 ):

• The constitutional framework comprises the Constitution and its preamble, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the Environmental Charter, and the organic laws that supplement the Constitution. It also includes the...