ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction – Gas or Air Source Heat Pump + Photovoltaic System + Energy Storage?
Created on: 25 Apr 2021 14:18
N
nullhorn
Hello everyone,
I will be building a house in 2021/2022 and will live in it myself. It’s a 10x10 meter (33x33 feet), 1.5-story standard single-family house. The roof is a pitched roof with a 40-degree pitch, ridge direction North/South (so the roof faces East/West and can be equipped with photovoltaic panels).
Now, my question: Gas is available in the area. Which heating technology would you recommend?
Gas? Air-source heat pump + photovoltaic + battery storage? Ground-source heat pump? Or something completely different?
And who can give me advice like this without any hidden profit motives (like heating installers always pushing gas, etc.)?
Regards,
Flo
I will be building a house in 2021/2022 and will live in it myself. It’s a 10x10 meter (33x33 feet), 1.5-story standard single-family house. The roof is a pitched roof with a 40-degree pitch, ridge direction North/South (so the roof faces East/West and can be equipped with photovoltaic panels).
Now, my question: Gas is available in the area. Which heating technology would you recommend?
Gas? Air-source heat pump + photovoltaic + battery storage? Ground-source heat pump? Or something completely different?
And who can give me advice like this without any hidden profit motives (like heating installers always pushing gas, etc.)?
Regards,
Flo
P
pagoni202029 Apr 2021 11:32You can find plenty of information here about heat pumps and also gas heating, especially regarding their operation, problems, advantages, and disadvantages.
If you focus on the topic of “fossil fuels” and share the opinion that gas is the “wrong” choice, then a decision has probably already been made. You initially mentioned “standard” for your house construction, and currently a gas heating system is considered a good standard—affordable and reliable.
About 3-4 years ago in Norway, I was completely amazed by the market share and the widespread acceptance of electric vehicles. Until just a few months ago 😀, this was still an unfamiliar or even a mocked and controversial topic here. Today, even in this forum, it is practically regarded as the new standard... sometimes changes in mindset happen that fast.
Therefore, I wouldn’t be entirely sure if my heating choice today will still be suitable in 10-15 years. Probably not, especially considering the revolution in the German car market over the last three years that was once unthinkable. I see so-called “standards” as rather fluid; it’s like buying a car—what feels like the best car today might be considered a problem by the same dealer when you trade it in tomorrow.
I think you already have your preferences, and that’s a good thing. Still, there are always other options to explore if you are willing to look for them.
Regarding flow temperature, eventually the limiting factor becomes the availability of willing, qualified, and reasonably priced technicians—which is becoming a societal challenge... who knows.
On the topic of independence: it’s like having your own forest and producing your own wood!
Right now, many decisions are often influenced by subsidy programs, which in the end don’t necessarily say anything about whether these solutions make sense for each individual or their heating system.
If you focus on the topic of “fossil fuels” and share the opinion that gas is the “wrong” choice, then a decision has probably already been made. You initially mentioned “standard” for your house construction, and currently a gas heating system is considered a good standard—affordable and reliable.
About 3-4 years ago in Norway, I was completely amazed by the market share and the widespread acceptance of electric vehicles. Until just a few months ago 😀, this was still an unfamiliar or even a mocked and controversial topic here. Today, even in this forum, it is practically regarded as the new standard... sometimes changes in mindset happen that fast.
Therefore, I wouldn’t be entirely sure if my heating choice today will still be suitable in 10-15 years. Probably not, especially considering the revolution in the German car market over the last three years that was once unthinkable. I see so-called “standards” as rather fluid; it’s like buying a car—what feels like the best car today might be considered a problem by the same dealer when you trade it in tomorrow.
I think you already have your preferences, and that’s a good thing. Still, there are always other options to explore if you are willing to look for them.
Regarding flow temperature, eventually the limiting factor becomes the availability of willing, qualified, and reasonably priced technicians—which is becoming a societal challenge... who knows.
On the topic of independence: it’s like having your own forest and producing your own wood!
Right now, many decisions are often influenced by subsidy programs, which in the end don’t necessarily say anything about whether these solutions make sense for each individual or their heating system.
nullhorn schrieb:
Probably not. Everything has to run smoothly, and I want to have peace of mind. But I agree about the dependency on fossil fuels. I don’t want to have to upgrade in 10 to 15 years. After all, you’re not building a garden shed now but a home for the next 50 years.Then definitely don’t buy a heat pump 😀N
nordanney29 Apr 2021 12:36nullhorn schrieb:
Probably not. Everything needs to work smoothly, and I want peace of mind. But I agree with you regarding the dependence on fossil fuels. I don’t want to have to retrofit in 10 or 15 years. After all, you're not building a garden shed now, but a home for the next 50 years.Then definitely a heat pump. Maybe a ground loop collector could work for you, for example.P
pagoni202029 Apr 2021 12:54Bookstar schrieb:
Then definitely don’t buy a heat pump 😀nordanney schrieb:
Then definitely get a heat pump.So @nullhorn, now you’re in a tough spot—both are right and can back up their experience/opinions; and there are even more viewpoints...As a suggestion to consider, I would strongly recommend this:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/bestandshaus-heizung-modernisierung.39030/#post-492597
Bookstar schrieb:
Then definitely don't buy a heat pump 😀Why? You have to get hands-on sometimes and know the subject well, right?First, you will probably need to set up and adjust everything yourself, because heating installers almost always perform a standard initial start-up. And then the heat pump will end up costing you a lot. Depending on the system configuration, it’s not insignificant—I have spent many hours and weeks on this.
In addition, these systems still tend to have defects quite often; you can find information about this with a quick Google search. They have significantly more frequent defects than gas boilers. Of course, you can also be lucky or just go with gas from the start.
And a purely personal opinion: with a heat pump, I consider having a wood stove mandatory. This way you can provide extra heating in case of defects or during transitional seasons.
That said, I admit the current trend is strongly moving towards photovoltaics and heat pumps, which is understandable. I also believe that retrofitting in 20 years will be very easy—ideally with even more efficient systems and government incentives. You can also make excellent use of photovoltaics with this setup.
For this reason, gas is currently unbeatable.
In addition, these systems still tend to have defects quite often; you can find information about this with a quick Google search. They have significantly more frequent defects than gas boilers. Of course, you can also be lucky or just go with gas from the start.
And a purely personal opinion: with a heat pump, I consider having a wood stove mandatory. This way you can provide extra heating in case of defects or during transitional seasons.
That said, I admit the current trend is strongly moving towards photovoltaics and heat pumps, which is understandable. I also believe that retrofitting in 20 years will be very easy—ideally with even more efficient systems and government incentives. You can also make excellent use of photovoltaics with this setup.
For this reason, gas is currently unbeatable.
Similar topics