ᐅ Air-to-Water Heat Pump – Location of the Outdoor Unit – Maximum Distance / Efficiency

Hello dear forum community!

Due to recent developments, I would like to ask about your experiences with the remote installation of the split unit.
In our initial planning, the unit was supposed to be installed as close as possible, meaning directly next to the utility room. In this case, facing the street = front yard.

However, the building authority has now requested a redesign because installation there is not permitted, which we and the architect apparently overlooked.
This is understandable in principle, as we are not fans of placing these units in front yards either and originally preferred a different location. Now the redesign is unavoidable, so an alternative installation about 11-12 meters (36-39 feet) away is basically the only option.

What does this mean for us in terms of efficiency and possible additional costs? We were previously generally advised against this remote installation because every extra meter would mean several hundred more in installation costs and the efficiency would suffer.

Does anyone have practical experience with this?

Thank you very much in advance!

Hello again everyone! 🙂

In case future readers are interested, I want to add some additional information myself:
Today, I already received feedback from the heat pump manufacturer (Vaillant) that the distance should generally not be an issue. However, for efficiency reasons, the pipes would need to be insulated with high-performance insulation. They referred to this as “district heating insulation,” which would cost around 300€/meter (91$/meter).

We will probably have to accept this cost.
If anyone has personal experience with efficient solutions and/or costs, please feel free to share 🙂

Best regards

netuser schrieb:

They mentioned "district heating insulation" costing about 300€/m (roughly 300€/3.3 ft).

We would probably have to accept that, one way or another.

I think they’re making quite a profit on that and telling you something about some kind of high-tech stuff. 300€/m (roughly 300€/3.3 ft) is quite a price... I definitely would have sourced the insulation myself and coordinated it with the plumber...

danixf schrieb:

I think they are adding quite a high profit margin and telling you something about some high-tech product. 300€/m (approximately $300 per linear meter) is a significant amount... I would have definitely sourced the insulation myself and coordinated accordingly with the plumbing contractor...

You’re probably right; I would also like to source the insulation myself... Apart from the fact that I haven’t found any insulation that expensive or special anywhere online and I’m curious what it actually is, unfortunately, we have the disadvantage of getting everything through the general contractor (GC) and therefore have little room for “doing it ourselves.”

In the end, efficiency should not be overlooked because the BAFA subsidy we hope to receive depends on it. From what I understand, the required efficiency must still be proven after commissioning. We’ll see how it goes...

netuser schrieb:

You’re probably right, I would also like to source the insulation myself

So why don’t you do it then? The district heating pipe (with two lines) costs about 40€ per linear meter for DN25 (about 70€ for DN32). Excellent insulation values.
For example:

You can also buy the district heating pipe with integrated empty conduit pipes at an additional cost. That way, you can lay the electrical wiring at the same time.

We also had to install a pipe like this for our air-to-water heat pump.

13 meters (43 feet) cost €1600. 😳
Plus end caps, threaded couplings, and transition nipples. In the end, it totaled €2900.

Electrical cables and others for the outdoor unit were also routed inside it.