ᐅ Mandatory heating system rental for new builds – is that allowed?
Created on: 17 Nov 2022 11:23
M
Maulwurfbau
Hello Forum,
I’m new here.
We plan to build and have come across a problem that is causing us a lot of headaches. I would like to hear your opinions on it.
A new residential development is being established in our town. Based on the developments of the last few months, the chances of us getting a plot are quite good. Fewer people want to build now. Money is tighter.
The building regulations are very strict. Among other things, a heat supply concept was developed in cooperation with the local utility company, which to me feels more like a stimulus program for the utility than anything else. But maybe I’m missing something.
For noise reasons, ground source heat collectors are being used, which the utility company is installing over a large area. The heating technology comes from the utility and can be used for a fee for either 10 or 15 years. The costs are outrageous compared to a standard air-to-water heat pump system for a KfW 55 or KfW 40 house.
Regarding the costs:
A one-time construction subsidy and connection fee of about €25,000 (approximately $27,000) must be paid. This covers the collector installation and connection to the network. Then, depending on the capacity of the heat pump provided, a monthly basic fee/service charge for availability of roughly €200 to €280 (approximately $215 to $300) per month for 6 kW must be paid for 10 or 15 years. On top of that, there are the actual heating costs, which here are about 8 cents per kWh (approximately 8 cents per kWh).
I am quite upset because the builders
1) cannot choose their own technology
2) are forced to design their energy system to fit into the utility’s infrastructure
3) am tied to paying the utility a fixed fee for 10 or 15 years
4) after this period, have to either install their own technology at their own expense (there is only a lifelong right to use the heat source) or continue with the utility’s system, possibly with further payments
5) it is not allowed/foreseen to couple the photovoltaic system to the heat exchanger, only to the household electricity (Is this really sustainable?)
What do you think? Of course, geothermal energy is much more efficient than air heat pumps, but if I add everything up, I will have paid between €58,000 and €64,000 (approximately $63,000 to $69,500) over 10 or 15 years (connection costs + technology rental + service fees, etc.) to the local utility, and that doesn’t even include the actual heat costs, which will be additional. I don’t own anything, and after 10–15 years, I have to deal with more costs to figure out what to do next.
I find this extremely exploitative and more like a sustainable stimulus program for the local utility rather than a truly sustainable heating concept.
What am I missing? This whole thing is being sold to the builders as especially sustainable. Environment and all that. And nobody complains; they are building like crazy.
I’m new here.
We plan to build and have come across a problem that is causing us a lot of headaches. I would like to hear your opinions on it.
A new residential development is being established in our town. Based on the developments of the last few months, the chances of us getting a plot are quite good. Fewer people want to build now. Money is tighter.
The building regulations are very strict. Among other things, a heat supply concept was developed in cooperation with the local utility company, which to me feels more like a stimulus program for the utility than anything else. But maybe I’m missing something.
For noise reasons, ground source heat collectors are being used, which the utility company is installing over a large area. The heating technology comes from the utility and can be used for a fee for either 10 or 15 years. The costs are outrageous compared to a standard air-to-water heat pump system for a KfW 55 or KfW 40 house.
Regarding the costs:
A one-time construction subsidy and connection fee of about €25,000 (approximately $27,000) must be paid. This covers the collector installation and connection to the network. Then, depending on the capacity of the heat pump provided, a monthly basic fee/service charge for availability of roughly €200 to €280 (approximately $215 to $300) per month for 6 kW must be paid for 10 or 15 years. On top of that, there are the actual heating costs, which here are about 8 cents per kWh (approximately 8 cents per kWh).
I am quite upset because the builders
1) cannot choose their own technology
2) are forced to design their energy system to fit into the utility’s infrastructure
3) am tied to paying the utility a fixed fee for 10 or 15 years
4) after this period, have to either install their own technology at their own expense (there is only a lifelong right to use the heat source) or continue with the utility’s system, possibly with further payments
5) it is not allowed/foreseen to couple the photovoltaic system to the heat exchanger, only to the household electricity (Is this really sustainable?)
What do you think? Of course, geothermal energy is much more efficient than air heat pumps, but if I add everything up, I will have paid between €58,000 and €64,000 (approximately $63,000 to $69,500) over 10 or 15 years (connection costs + technology rental + service fees, etc.) to the local utility, and that doesn’t even include the actual heat costs, which will be additional. I don’t own anything, and after 10–15 years, I have to deal with more costs to figure out what to do next.
I find this extremely exploitative and more like a sustainable stimulus program for the local utility rather than a truly sustainable heating concept.
What am I missing? This whole thing is being sold to the builders as especially sustainable. Environment and all that. And nobody complains; they are building like crazy.
K
k-man202129 Nov 2022 20:13I wouldn’t do it either. Aside from the high costs, owning a house means, to me, having a certain level of independence, which I wouldn’t have here in such an important matter for a long time.
k-man2021 schrieb:
own house means, for me, also a measure of independenceSome might call that comfort! 😀 A rental apartment also provides its own comfort. You just have to be aware of that. Also independence, because locking the door behind you and then coming back weeks later requires arrangements with owned land or a single-family house.
But I agree with the original poster in terms of the numbers.
I would do it myself if the figures work out in the end. If other options (plots of land, house construction, building contractor offers) are more expensive, then I’d frankly say: go for it.
Some people build a granny flat costing many times the subsidy and call that freedom, while others equip their house with €20,000 worth of comfort features to be independent (ventilation, automation). Whether that can always be balanced out in terms of money is something I doubt.
M
Maulwurfbau30 Nov 2022 08:24k-man2021 schrieb:
I wouldn’t do it either. Apart from the high costs, to me having my own house especially means a certain level of independence, which I wouldn’t have here in an important matter for a long time. I agree with that. Personally, I would feel uncomfortable having built the house but still not being “in control” of the building services. And to pay for that feeling of dependence for decades on top of it.
X
xMisterDx30 Nov 2022 21:51How are the 8 cents/kWh calculated? Electricity? Actual heat?
For the rest... a geothermal borehole would cost you a similar amount privately. The heat pump, including underfloor heating, costs around 20-25 thousand EUR (22,000-27,500 USD).
Or are you paying for the installation of the underfloor heating yourself? It’s a classic “all-inclusive” package. If the heat pump breaks down within 10-15 years, the utility company will replace it with a new one, so you come out ahead while the utility company takes the loss.
It’s like with a car. Leasing is a bit more expensive, but you drive worry-free because all repairs are included in the lease payments. Those who prefer to buy their car and use it for 10 years… might get lucky… but even a moderately expensive repair can upset the whole calculation.
And the service provider charges for that security—we all have to make a living somehow...
For the rest... a geothermal borehole would cost you a similar amount privately. The heat pump, including underfloor heating, costs around 20-25 thousand EUR (22,000-27,500 USD).
Or are you paying for the installation of the underfloor heating yourself? It’s a classic “all-inclusive” package. If the heat pump breaks down within 10-15 years, the utility company will replace it with a new one, so you come out ahead while the utility company takes the loss.
It’s like with a car. Leasing is a bit more expensive, but you drive worry-free because all repairs are included in the lease payments. Those who prefer to buy their car and use it for 10 years… might get lucky… but even a moderately expensive repair can upset the whole calculation.
And the service provider charges for that security—we all have to make a living somehow...
K
k-man202130 Nov 2022 22:10xMisterDx schrieb:
A geothermal drilling would cost you a similar amount privately.The original poster mentioned a horizontal collector, not drilling. That should be significantly cheaper… although I didn’t understand whether it is installed on their own property or somewhere else. If it’s not a trench collector, I wouldn’t want it on my property anyway, since you can’t plant trees on that area.X
xMisterDx30 Nov 2022 22:30k-man2021 schrieb:
The original poster mentioned a surface collector, not a borehole. That should be significantly cheaper… although I didn’t understand whether it’s being installed on their own property or somewhere else. If it’s not a trench collector, I wouldn’t want it on my property anyway, since you can’t plant trees on that area. The ground heat collector isn’t much different in cost from the borehole. Everything is significantly more expensive than it was 3 or 4 years ago.
I think the issue here is people referring to experience and especially prices from acquaintances who installed systems before 2020.
Similar topics