Hello everyone,
We are currently planning a single-family house with approximately 160m² (1,722 sq ft) of living space based on the KFW55 standard. Since we are still at the beginning of the planning phase, many details are not yet finalized.
From the start, we have focused on the heating system. Our current favorite is an air-to-water heat pump. The main reason for this choice was especially the aspect of “underfloor heating,” which is supposed to provide a certain level of comfort. Many consultations we had confirmed this point.
However, we were recently advised to consider an air-to-air heat pump instead. The reasoning was that the underfloor heating would be installed under a roughly 15cm (6 inch) thick screed layer anyway, so an air-to-air heat pump would be preferable because it heats more directly. It was also said that the comfort without underfloor heating would be comparable.
Now our question is which argumentation we should trust.
Is underfloor heating preferable to a radiator-based heating system?
Which heating concept provides more comfort to the house?
And do the additional costs of underfloor heating justify the added value?
What are your opinions on these points? Which concept would you choose, and why?
We would greatly appreciate your feedback.
Thank you & best regards,
matze007
We are currently planning a single-family house with approximately 160m² (1,722 sq ft) of living space based on the KFW55 standard. Since we are still at the beginning of the planning phase, many details are not yet finalized.
From the start, we have focused on the heating system. Our current favorite is an air-to-water heat pump. The main reason for this choice was especially the aspect of “underfloor heating,” which is supposed to provide a certain level of comfort. Many consultations we had confirmed this point.
However, we were recently advised to consider an air-to-air heat pump instead. The reasoning was that the underfloor heating would be installed under a roughly 15cm (6 inch) thick screed layer anyway, so an air-to-air heat pump would be preferable because it heats more directly. It was also said that the comfort without underfloor heating would be comparable.
Now our question is which argumentation we should trust.
Is underfloor heating preferable to a radiator-based heating system?
Which heating concept provides more comfort to the house?
And do the additional costs of underfloor heating justify the added value?
What are your opinions on these points? Which concept would you choose, and why?
We would greatly appreciate your feedback.
Thank you & best regards,
matze007
Our neighbors with an air-to-air heat pump are unhappy regarding comfort (and energy consumption). When it gets really cold, the system blows out fairly warm but extremely dry air, and a higher temperature is needed for a comfortable feeling because although the air is warm, the building itself remains rather cold.
I would definitely recommend underfloor heating for KfW55 standard. Although the floor itself is no longer warm in the traditional sense, the entire mass of the house is heated, which provides comfort.
Air-to-air heat pumps can become very expensive to operate because the exhaust air from the house is used as the heat source. If that is not sufficient, electric heating is activated directly—and that costs.
Air-to-air heat pumps can become very expensive to operate because the exhaust air from the house is used as the heat source. If that is not sufficient, electric heating is activated directly—and that costs.
Team underfloor heating!
Do you like warm, dry air from blowers? I don’t.
That’s not quite accurate. An air-to-air heat pump does not necessarily have to be an exhaust air heat pump. But yes, exhaust air heat pumps are suitable for passive houses.
Do you like warm, dry air from blowers? I don’t.
Joedreck schrieb:
Air-to-air heat pumps can become extremely expensive to maintain since the exhaust air from the house is used as a heat source
That’s not quite accurate. An air-to-air heat pump does not necessarily have to be an exhaust air heat pump. But yes, exhaust air heat pumps are suitable for passive houses.
An air-to-air heat pump without exhaust air seems odd to me as well. When heating with warm air, the "used" indoor air has to go somewhere. So, outside? It would only make sense with a heat exchanger, meaning the air passes through the heat exchanger, and the supply air first goes through the heat exchanger and then through the air-to-air heat pump?
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