ᐅ Is an additional €30,000 for geothermal heating worthwhile? Any experiences?
Created on: 14 Mar 2022 16:00
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NBN2022
Hello everyone,
I would really appreciate your collective expertise here. Here’s the situation: We are currently building a turnkey semi-detached house with a basement through a developer in NRW. It’s a KfW 55 energy standard house, including subsidies.
Now we are faced with the question: Should we switch from gas (standard) to geothermal energy? According to the developer, the additional cost is about €30,000. The city unfortunately does not approve air-source heat pumps. It’s a long story, and we cannot change that. Our thoughts so far:
- Gas at this time of year... better not
- €30,000 surcharge: ouch!
- It’s too late to switch to KfW 55 EE, so we will probably only get the “old” KfW 55 subsidy. The higher subsidy for renewable energy would certainly have helped. However, the KfW hotline said this “upgrade” to renewable energy will not negatively affect our promised 55 standard loan (meaning: if you deviate significantly from the application, tough luck). Can anyone confirm this? The final approval for implementation is quite different.
- Would it make sense to install gas now and then switch to geothermal in 1–2 years with a different subsidy? That way, it might be possible to get a 30% grant, which is currently not available. It sounds crazy, but with these prices, we are considering every idea.
- Any other suggestions?
Thank you very much!
I would really appreciate your collective expertise here. Here’s the situation: We are currently building a turnkey semi-detached house with a basement through a developer in NRW. It’s a KfW 55 energy standard house, including subsidies.
Now we are faced with the question: Should we switch from gas (standard) to geothermal energy? According to the developer, the additional cost is about €30,000. The city unfortunately does not approve air-source heat pumps. It’s a long story, and we cannot change that. Our thoughts so far:
- Gas at this time of year... better not
- €30,000 surcharge: ouch!
- It’s too late to switch to KfW 55 EE, so we will probably only get the “old” KfW 55 subsidy. The higher subsidy for renewable energy would certainly have helped. However, the KfW hotline said this “upgrade” to renewable energy will not negatively affect our promised 55 standard loan (meaning: if you deviate significantly from the application, tough luck). Can anyone confirm this? The final approval for implementation is quite different.
- Would it make sense to install gas now and then switch to geothermal in 1–2 years with a different subsidy? That way, it might be possible to get a 30% grant, which is currently not available. It sounds crazy, but with these prices, we are considering every idea.
- Any other suggestions?
Thank you very much!
I can definitely imagine that in times like these, "allocation fees" might be charged by the contractors. They sometimes create schedules six months or more in advance, especially for large developer projects. If, for example, the plumbing subcontractor needs an extra week because the client has special requests on one property, it disrupts the deployment plan for five other projects. In that case, you practically have to bribe the subcontractor to either stay longer or come back later.
That’s just how things are right now.
That’s just how things are right now.
30,000€ is not an additional cost but a total price that could only be somewhat justified if it includes a previously non-existent underfloor heating system along with the necessary planning changes. Otherwise, it is simply excessive, unless 300 meters (984 feet) of drilling are included. I believe the real message is: You won’t get it here, period, end of story. The reasons for this can be complex.
Thank you for your feedback! Phew, yes, we are checking whether the developer is willing to enter into discussions with the city again regarding a change to the zoning plan / planning permission. Unfortunately, this is not so easy with a "project-related" zoning plan. Anything that is visually different from what is specifically defined requires a subsequent amendment to the zoning plan. For example, an additional garage door, since it is visually noticeable and thus a deviation from the zoning plan.
Unfortunately, we do not have an external basement staircase... that was one of the questions here...
We also do not want to come across as "troublemakers." The developer is the builder, if I understand correctly, and whether we should write a separate letter to the city needs to be discussed with the developer. Just asking, what are "realistic" costs for an air source heat pump? Assuming it would be approved?
Unfortunately, we do not have an external basement staircase... that was one of the questions here...
We also do not want to come across as "troublemakers." The developer is the builder, if I understand correctly, and whether we should write a separate letter to the city needs to be discussed with the developer. Just asking, what are "realistic" costs for an air source heat pump? Assuming it would be approved?
NBN2022 schrieb:
Just asking, what are the "realistic" costs for an air-source heat pump? Assuming it gets approved? For a standard heating load air-to-water heat pump up to 6 kW including everything, I would realistically estimate around 12,000–17,000 euros (approximately 13,000–19,000 USD) for the complete installation.
You have to compare this against a gas boiler costing about 5,000 euros (around 5,400 USD) plus buffer tank plus solar thermal panels and connections.
The heat pump might cost about 5,000 euros (approximately 5,400 USD) more.
Is there still any individual subsidy from BAFA available?
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Benutzer20015 Mar 2022 16:25NBN2022 schrieb:
Thanks for your feedback! Phew, yes, we are checking if the developer is willing to reopen discussions with the city regarding the zoning plan amendment. Unfortunately, with a "project-specific" zoning plan, this is not that easy. Anything that has not been exactly defined visually requires a subsequent amendment to the zoning plan. And for the third time, the question: Is a heat pump explicitly prohibited? What does the zoning plan say? It doesn’t matter whether it’s project-specific or “standard.” It’s still just a zoning plan.
Why don’t you answer the question?
I have read through the development plan from beginning to end. In the written text section, there is no mention of any type of heating system, nor any prohibition. However, the plan includes detailed illustrations showing the front side, rear side of the house, garden, tree, street lamp, garbage bin, and so on—very precise. According to the information from the building authority, any visual deviation requires approval. A "box" in front of the door is clearly visible. I have no legal expertise in this area. I rely on the statement from the building authority that it requires approval and that no approval was granted. When explicitly asked about an air source heat pump, only ground source heat was approved. Could you possibly provide me with a "source" stating that I do NOT need to get approval for this, even though the development plan shows all views of the house and property and this would be a change? Thank you very much.
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