ᐅ Additional Heating Support from Solar/Pellet Stove

Hello everyone,

A house was purchased 1.5 years ago. The heating and domestic hot water system consists of a solar panel system plus a water-bearing wood stove. A 1000L (265 gallon) water storage tank handles the heat storage.
Basically, this setup works well. However, on cold days without sun, if no one is at home to operate the stove, the water tank can only be heated using the electric heating element.

To save on electricity costs, we are now considering adding an additional heating system to cover those days.

Currently, a small air-source heat pump or a gas boiler (gas supply is available at the street) are being considered.

Who has experience regarding the effort, costs, and benefits of these options?
An initial offer for the heat pump is already available. Model:
OCHSNER EUROPA MINI IWP

Best regards

As far as I know, a solar/water-heated stove and a heat pump do not work well together due to very different supply temperatures.
Do you have radiators? A heat pump is typically only economical with underfloor heating and low supply temperatures.

Or do you mean an air-to-air heat pump?
In that case, it would be a separate system and might be possible.
However, if gas is already available, in my opinion, it is probably the most practical option for you.

Hello,

the house has full underfloor heating and is well insulated.
An air-to-water heat pump is being considered, as it needs to support the hot water storage tank.

I don’t understand why the different supply temperatures should be a problem.

I'm not an expert either, but as far as I know, you need two heating circuits, otherwise the control system becomes unnecessarily complicated.

@Daniel-Sp or for example @T_im_Norden can explain this better.

What are the reasons against using gas?

It is possible, but the control system can become complex. If the fireplace is not in use and the house is not heated, you can certainly add a heat pump. Ideally, it would feed directly into the underfloor heating system rather than the buffer tank, to maintain a basic temperature level. However, this is technically demanding and far from straightforward. How about a small hydronic pellet stove with automatic control? I would try to keep the system as simple as possible.

Gas is generally an option, but it involves costs for connection to the house, standing charges, installation, maintenance, chimney sweeping, etc., and only for a few days per year or during winter.

That would be my last choice.

Depending on the available space, a second buffer tank and a wood gasifier could also make sense.

What is the house’s heating demand? Also, pictures often say more than a thousand words.