ᐅ Geothermal energy, a fireplace, and solar power?

Hello, I am already thinking about heating options without gas or oil. My first idea, and a tip from an employee, was a water-bearing fireplace. He heats his entire house with it during the winter. For the summer, I thought a large solar system would probably be sufficient. Now I am wondering whether the fireplace with water jackets is enough or if a ground source heat pump is also needed. I have also already looked into the SolvisMax stratified storage tank.

So, from spring to autumn: solar
Winter: ground source heat + fireplace

Is this a good and, above all, affordable solution?

How is heating supposed to be done with solar? Where does the hot water come from in winter?

nordanney schrieb:
How is heating supposed to be done with solar?

I also wouldn’t know how to heat with solar.

Hello Henny0710,

I believe the choice of heating system depends on many factors. There is no single “best heating” solution that fits all houses.

Individual solutions must be found for each house and its occupants.

Example 1: One person prefers heating with wood (firewood), which requires a lot of work (compared to gas heating), while another wants nothing to do with heating and prefers a fully automatic system.

Example 2: One house is very large and poorly insulated, while another is small and very well insulated. One needs to heat all day with a lot of wood, whereas the other only needs to light the fire once a day.

...

Generally, if you want to work with a heat pump (which extracts heat from the ground, groundwater, or air), this is often combined with a solar system (for electricity generation). Heating systems with a burner (gas, oil, wood, pellets, etc.) can also be effectively combined with solar thermal collectors.

If you want more detailed information, you need to provide more details about the building and the planned measures!

Best regards

K.Brodbeck

Hello,
we quickly dismissed heating with a hydronic fireplace. The costs are significant, and the effect too small, since the fire simply burns out too fast and the amounts of heat produced are way too low. A proper wood stove with a water buffer tank is something different. "A fireplace is always a luxury," a fireplace installer told us, and he was right. Having to rely on it for heating is a hassle because you constantly have to keep adding fuel. I would reconsider that if I were you.

In my opinion, solar thermal systems are never a bad idea when you have the right south-facing orientation and roof space—oh, and the money, of course.

I think it’s best to have a solid basic heating supply—in our case, geothermal energy. We want to supplement this with solar thermal (if the budget allows), and the fireplace is more of a secondary heater for when it’s really cold outside.

Hello,

kaho674 schrieb:
...I think it’s important to choose a reliable base heating system – for us, it was geothermal energy. We plan to supplement this with solar thermal systems (if the budget allows), and the fireplace serves as a backup heater when it’s really cold outside.

Brine heat pumps (ground source heat pumps), water-to-water heat pumps, or air source heat pumps combined with solar thermal systems rarely work well together due to their competing thermal demands. A heat pump combined with photovoltaic panels is generally much more cost-effective.
Geothermal heating performs best with high heat demand, which corresponds to moderate insulation and cooler climates, while air source heat pumps are better suited for moderate to low heat demand, with good insulation and milder climates.
In both cases, photovoltaic systems are by far the more advantageous partner when considering the annual energy balance. They often enable heating and hot water at effectively zero cost, which is rarely achievable with solar thermal systems.

Best regards.