Hello everyone,
We are currently planning to build a KFW55 house in Bavaria.
The heated living area (underfloor heating) would be 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft). In addition, there is an unheated basement.
At the planned building site, there is a private district heating provider offering a 10-year contract. The connection and transfer station would be supplied by the district heat producer. The cost per kWh of heat is 8.33 cents. I actually find this solution very attractive, but you often read a lot of negative things about district heating.
The contract includes an economic clause. This concerns me because it means I would be tied to the contract for 10 years in case of possible price increases. What are your experiences with such district heating contracts?
Other heating options (possible are heat pumps and pellet heating; I do not want oil or gas boilers, and there is no gas connection available) do offer a lower kWh price, but they require high initial investments. I estimate these initial costs to be in the range of 15,000 - 25,000 € (16,000 - 27,000 USD). Are these amounts roughly correct, or do you have better estimates?
Greetings from Bavaria!
We are currently planning to build a KFW55 house in Bavaria.
The heated living area (underfloor heating) would be 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft). In addition, there is an unheated basement.
At the planned building site, there is a private district heating provider offering a 10-year contract. The connection and transfer station would be supplied by the district heat producer. The cost per kWh of heat is 8.33 cents. I actually find this solution very attractive, but you often read a lot of negative things about district heating.
The contract includes an economic clause. This concerns me because it means I would be tied to the contract for 10 years in case of possible price increases. What are your experiences with such district heating contracts?
Other heating options (possible are heat pumps and pellet heating; I do not want oil or gas boilers, and there is no gas connection available) do offer a lower kWh price, but they require high initial investments. I estimate these initial costs to be in the range of 15,000 - 25,000 € (16,000 - 27,000 USD). Are these amounts roughly correct, or do you have better estimates?
Greetings from Bavaria!
B
boxandroof20 Aug 2018 23:41Make sure to design the underfloor heating so that a heat pump can operate efficiently in case you decide to switch later. That means a maximum flow temperature of 30°C (86°F).
Regarding district heating, there are reports of rapidly increasing prices. Are there no fixed basic charges? The initial investment probably won’t be zero either.
Otherwise, your cost assumptions for the heating system, including hydraulics for hot water preparation but excluding underfloor heating, seem reasonable. It is also possible to achieve an efficient heating system for well under €10,000 (approx. $11,000) if you are willing to get involved in the planning yourself.
Regarding district heating, there are reports of rapidly increasing prices. Are there no fixed basic charges? The initial investment probably won’t be zero either.
Otherwise, your cost assumptions for the heating system, including hydraulics for hot water preparation but excluding underfloor heating, seem reasonable. It is also possible to achieve an efficient heating system for well under €10,000 (approx. $11,000) if you are willing to get involved in the planning yourself.
Thank you so far for the responses!
The underfloor heating will definitely be planned in a way that allows for an easy future switch, for example, to a heat pump.
Yes, I have read the articles about the continuously rising prices. However, I believe there must also be consumers who do not experience any problems with the price increases.
There are no basic fees. However, there is a minimum consumption amount of 10,000 kWh. I will have to gather more information about this once the planning is finalized.
A buffer tank, etc., is also necessary with this solution, but I have not included costs that apply to all options.
What exactly do you mean by "getting involved in the planning"? If I contract this trade, the responsible plumbing company will probably not welcome interference.
The underfloor heating will definitely be planned in a way that allows for an easy future switch, for example, to a heat pump.
Yes, I have read the articles about the continuously rising prices. However, I believe there must also be consumers who do not experience any problems with the price increases.
There are no basic fees. However, there is a minimum consumption amount of 10,000 kWh. I will have to gather more information about this once the planning is finalized.
A buffer tank, etc., is also necessary with this solution, but I have not included costs that apply to all options.
What exactly do you mean by "getting involved in the planning"? If I contract this trade, the responsible plumbing company will probably not welcome interference.
B
boxandroof21 Aug 2018 11:16bbkhacki schrieb:
What exactly do you mean by "getting involved in the planning"? If I subcontract this trade, the responsible plumbing company won’t want interference.That’s the point ;-)
Our plumbing company, for example, “only” installed the underfloor heating and hydraulic system according to our specifications. So basically everything. We personally purchased and installed the air-to-water heat pump (not a split system), taking on the risk ourselves. There were just two pipes left to connect, and that was it. Of course, that part could also be subcontracted to a third party.
Alternative ground-source heat pump: it’s hardly more expensive after subsidies if you can install the collector yourself cheaply as a horizontal trench collector.
Early planning and having your own understanding of the heating system really help, but it initially requires your own time investment. If you don’t have that time, I’d also find district heating attractive at first, despite the fixed annual cost of 833€ (about $900). But that is already quite substantial today, and with price increases, it can quickly become a burden. The question is whether you would really switch the energy source later once it becomes more expensive than the alternatives. For example, the buffer tank should definitely be removed then.
Hello,
I think €15,000-25,000 (about $16,000-$27,000) is a bit of an overestimate.
The entire heating system, including underfloor heating, hot water storage tank, etc., costs around €20,000 (about $22,000). But you also have those costs with your option.
The air-source heat pump alone costs between €4,000 and €7,000 (about $4,400-$7,700), so let’s say around €10,000 (about $11,000) fully installed. It shouldn’t be more than that.
For 160 sqm (about 1,722 sq ft), you can easily go through 12,000-15,000 kWh of heating energy per year, depending on how warm and cozy you like it.
8.33 cents per kWh would be about 3 cents more than what gas would cost you. That would mean roughly €400 (about $440) extra per year based on 13,500 kWh. That sounds pretty reasonable for an investment savings of €10,000 (about $11,000).
Gas and electricity prices are going up as well.
Does the contract say how much they are allowed to increase the prices? If next year the 8.33 cents goes up to 15 cents, that would obviously be a problem...
Regards,
Andreas
I think €15,000-25,000 (about $16,000-$27,000) is a bit of an overestimate.
The entire heating system, including underfloor heating, hot water storage tank, etc., costs around €20,000 (about $22,000). But you also have those costs with your option.
The air-source heat pump alone costs between €4,000 and €7,000 (about $4,400-$7,700), so let’s say around €10,000 (about $11,000) fully installed. It shouldn’t be more than that.
For 160 sqm (about 1,722 sq ft), you can easily go through 12,000-15,000 kWh of heating energy per year, depending on how warm and cozy you like it.
8.33 cents per kWh would be about 3 cents more than what gas would cost you. That would mean roughly €400 (about $440) extra per year based on 13,500 kWh. That sounds pretty reasonable for an investment savings of €10,000 (about $11,000).
Gas and electricity prices are going up as well.
Does the contract say how much they are allowed to increase the prices? If next year the 8.33 cents goes up to 15 cents, that would obviously be a problem...
Regards,
Andreas
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