ᐅ Gas or Heat Pump? Experiences and Feedback

I already suspected that you are under time pressure regarding the decision; we were in a similar situation.

Take a look at the "Aquarea Club" website. It contains a lot of important information about heat pumps, which applies not only to the manufacturer mentioned there. If you follow the concepts presented and your house’s heating load is around 5 kW, you will have a very efficient and economical heating system. That’s the approach we took as well. An even better alternative would be a trench collector, especially if you live in a colder area. However, both solutions are not something you can simply order from a local heating contractor. We did not do much of the work ourselves, but I didn’t let the tradespeople do whatever they wanted—I set specific requirements.

The underfloor heating (or radiant floor heating) must be properly planned—that’s where a good heating professional comes in. The goal: supply temperature at the design heating load (NormAt) around a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius (86°F).

You yourself have to ensure good planning and later operation; usually, the experts will not manage that for you.

In post #32, I described our ongoing costs compared to gas, somewhat better than KfW55 standard, with controlled ventilation and a 150 m² (1,615 ft²) house. Add about 30–50% to the pure consumption costs (gas/electricity), then that fits well with good planning and a larger house.

What matters most are the quotes you receive. A compact air-to-water heat pump (not a split system) is well suited for DIY involvement or self-purchasing. Expensive split systems can lead to additional ongoing maintenance costs.

boxandroof schrieb:

I already suspected you were under time pressure to make a decision; it was similar for us.

Take a look at the "Aquarea Club" website. There is a lot of useful information about heat pumps that applies not only to the manufacturer mentioned there. If you follow the concepts presented and your house only requires a 5kW heating load, you will have a very good and efficient heating system. That’s what we did as well. An even better alternative would be a horizontal ground loop collector, especially if you live in a colder region. Both methods, however, are not something you can simply order at the local heating installer. We didn’t do much of the work ourselves, but I didn’t just let the craftsmen do whatever they wanted—I gave them clear instructions.

The underfloor heating needs to be properly designed, and it’s worth finding a good heating engineer for that. The goal: flow temperature at the design temperature (NormAt) around max 30 degrees Celsius (86°F).

You will have to ensure the good planning and the proper operation later on yourself; usually, the experts won’t do this for you.

In post #32, I described our ongoing costs compared with gas, somewhat better than KfW55 standard, controlled mechanical ventilation, 150m2 (1615 ft2). Add about 30-50% to the pure consumption costs (gas/electricity), then it fits well with good planning and a larger house.

The decisive factor is the offers you receive. A compact air-to-water heat pump (not split type) is well suited for DIY or purchasing parts yourself. Expensive split systems can incur additional ongoing maintenance costs.

Thank you very much for your reply!

After reading post #32, an air-to-water heat pump seems more positive to me. I have also gathered quite a bit of information from the Aquarea Club website.

But what exactly do you mean by split? Do you mean getting everything from a single supplier or something else?

Sorry, we are really inexperienced here and afraid of making all the wrong choices. That’s why every expert we talk to simply advises us to go with gas, and we worry they might just be taking the easy way out.

With a split system, part of the heat pump is located outside and part inside. This should not be installed by an amateur. Alternatively, there are mono units, which consist of a single outdoor unit; in this case, you only need to connect power and water.

Lumpi_LE schrieb:

A split system has part of the heat pump installed outside and part inside; this should not be installed by a layperson. Alternatively, there are mono systems, which are a single outdoor unit that only requires electrical and water connections.

Thanks.
So, here is how we arranged it.
We order the system through the heating contractor and do everything else ourselves as much as possible. Of course, the contractor will perform the final inspection, and in the meantime, we have an uncle and an acquaintance who work at heating companies and help us.

We are actually leaning towards a split system, meaning the system would be located in the utility room and the fan (or blower) outside (because of noise).

Actually, there is nothing in favor of a split system – or at least, I can’t think of anything. Noise is not an issue.

Lumpi_LE schrieb:

Actually, there is nothing in favor of a split system – or at least I can’t think of anything. Noise is not an issue.

Ah, okay, thanks for this information as well.
That means you just look for a compact unit without having additional devices placed somewhere else.
Does this mean that if we decide on the air-to-water heat pump, we wouldn’t have to plan any pipes under the foundation slab for it?

We had once heard that a system in the utility room already produces noise if it’s not split.
Especially since the children’s bedroom is located above the utility room.