ᐅ Gas Heating from January 1, 2024 – What to Do If Your Heating System Breaks Down?
Created on: 21 Jan 2023 11:21
L
leschafHello!
My mother-in-law currently owns a mid-terrace house from around 1920. The whole building is uninsulated, with old windows, etc. Heating is done with gas, and the boiler is nearly 20 years old.
As of January 1, 2024, there is a new regulation/law requiring that 65% of heating energy must come from renewable sources when installing a new heating system. We are quite concerned about how this will work if the boiler breaks down.
Option 1) Heat pump: This is basically ruled out because we would have to completely renovate the house (insulate basement, exterior walls, new roof, new radiators and pipes, new windows). This is financially not feasible and also impossible to do while she still lives there. It is also unpredictable when the boiler might fail, and with a one-year delivery time for a heat pump, she would have a cold house for a year. Additionally, she has a small extension with a rental apartment we just renovated. There is a new gas heating system there. Switching to a heat pump would definitely cause complications there as well.
Option 2) Install a new boiler quickly before the end of the year. Then there should be peace of mind for 20 years (repairs are still allowed for existing boilers). My mother-in-law is 76, so this will probably be sufficient.
Option 3) When the heating breaks down, install a hybrid system consisting of a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal. Although this is likely to be quite expensive.
Option 4) Switch to an eco-gas tariff when the gas boiler breaks down (e.g., a truly green gas tariff).
Am I understanding this correctly? Is Option 4 really a viable way to avoid renovation until she no longer lives there? Are there any other possibilities we might not have considered? And if it is really possible to avoid the issue by switching to eco-gas — how is it supposed to be controlled who has which contract, and so on?
My mother-in-law currently owns a mid-terrace house from around 1920. The whole building is uninsulated, with old windows, etc. Heating is done with gas, and the boiler is nearly 20 years old.
As of January 1, 2024, there is a new regulation/law requiring that 65% of heating energy must come from renewable sources when installing a new heating system. We are quite concerned about how this will work if the boiler breaks down.
Option 1) Heat pump: This is basically ruled out because we would have to completely renovate the house (insulate basement, exterior walls, new roof, new radiators and pipes, new windows). This is financially not feasible and also impossible to do while she still lives there. It is also unpredictable when the boiler might fail, and with a one-year delivery time for a heat pump, she would have a cold house for a year. Additionally, she has a small extension with a rental apartment we just renovated. There is a new gas heating system there. Switching to a heat pump would definitely cause complications there as well.
Option 2) Install a new boiler quickly before the end of the year. Then there should be peace of mind for 20 years (repairs are still allowed for existing boilers). My mother-in-law is 76, so this will probably be sufficient.
Option 3) When the heating breaks down, install a hybrid system consisting of a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal. Although this is likely to be quite expensive.
Option 4) Switch to an eco-gas tariff when the gas boiler breaks down (e.g., a truly green gas tariff).
Am I understanding this correctly? Is Option 4 really a viable way to avoid renovation until she no longer lives there? Are there any other possibilities we might not have considered? And if it is really possible to avoid the issue by switching to eco-gas — how is it supposed to be controlled who has which contract, and so on?
1. Conversation with the mother-in-law,
what do you want, as our mother-in-law (88) wants to stay in the house until the end.
You don’t want to renovate in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable so that she moves to assisted living with her friend.
2. How many square meters (square feet) of living space and previous gas consumption.
what do you want, as our mother-in-law (88) wants to stay in the house until the end.
You don’t want to renovate in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable so that she moves to assisted living with her friend.
2. How many square meters (square feet) of living space and previous gas consumption.
SumsumBiene21 Jan 2023 15:36Option 5) Install a good used gas boiler promptly.
SumsumBiene schrieb:
Option 5) promptly install a good used gas boiler.Who installs something like that? The professional companies also refuse to connect heat pumps or similar equipment that you buy yourself.
Nida35a schrieb:
1. Talk with your mother-in-law, what does she want? (Our mother-in-law (88) wants to stay in the house until the end.) You don’t want to renovate in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable and causes her to move to assisted living with a friend.
2. How much living space in square meters and what is the current gas consumption.As I said, renovation is currently not an option for my mother-in-law, and it’s also financially difficult at least. That’s why option 1 from the original post is also not feasible.
Current gas consumption is about 12,500 kWh for roughly 145 m² (1,560 sq ft), but this isn’t really representative since after renovating the extension, that area also uses gas now (70 m² (750 sq ft)), and my mother-in-law doesn’t heat the whole house either.
SumsumBiene22 Jan 2023 17:56Our heating technician installed a used hot water storage tank for us last month, which he took back from a customer.
I would just politely ask the companies. If they installed a heat pump somewhere or replaced a boiler about three years ago, then they should be familiar with the device.
I would just politely ask the companies. If they installed a heat pump somewhere or replaced a boiler about three years ago, then they should be familiar with the device.
Winniefred23 Jan 2023 09:10Eco-gas is not a renewable energy source.
If remodeling is not an option, I would probably install a new boiler.
We are also concerned about this issue. Our gas heating system is now 13 years old. In the long term, we want to install photovoltaic panels and a heat pump, but it has to be affordable, and how can you deal with the problem of delivery times if, for example, the gas boiler breaks down in October and you can't get another heating system? We will receive subsidies this year, but that does not result in 65% renewable energy.
If remodeling is not an option, I would probably install a new boiler.
We are also concerned about this issue. Our gas heating system is now 13 years old. In the long term, we want to install photovoltaic panels and a heat pump, but it has to be affordable, and how can you deal with the problem of delivery times if, for example, the gas boiler breaks down in October and you can't get another heating system? We will receive subsidies this year, but that does not result in 65% renewable energy.
Similar topics