Hello everyone,
We will probably be purchasing a plot of land soon where connection to district heating is mandatory. My wife and I know very little about district heating, and although we have looked up information online about the pros and cons, we are still unsure if it is the right option for us. A local authority representative sent us the following text in advance:
"District heating is generated from the combustion of wood chips made from residual wood from local forests. There is an obligation to connect, but no minimum consumption requirement. Wood-burning stoves for space heating are permitted. Attached is a draft of the heat supply contract, showing what it will likely look like."
I have also attached the contract draft. Perhaps someone can share their experiences with this? The construction cost surcharge of €11,500 (about $12,700) seems quite steep to me!
Thank you in advance for your responses.
We will probably be purchasing a plot of land soon where connection to district heating is mandatory. My wife and I know very little about district heating, and although we have looked up information online about the pros and cons, we are still unsure if it is the right option for us. A local authority representative sent us the following text in advance:
"District heating is generated from the combustion of wood chips made from residual wood from local forests. There is an obligation to connect, but no minimum consumption requirement. Wood-burning stoves for space heating are permitted. Attached is a draft of the heat supply contract, showing what it will likely look like."
I have also attached the contract draft. Perhaps someone can share their experiences with this? The construction cost surcharge of €11,500 (about $12,700) seems quite steep to me!
Thank you in advance for your responses.
Hi
In our development area, there is a district heating system from a biogas plant, but no mandatory connection. Some have connected, some have not. We decided against it for several reasons.
We would have had an annual base fee of 340 euros for a KfW70 house, while the standard would have been 450 euros (for a connection that a single-family house typically requires). The price per kWh was supposed to be 6.9 cents.
We were asked to pay 15,000 euros for the connection including the transfer station inside the house. However, it should be noted that the connection point in the utility room would have been about 25 meters (82 feet) from the property boundary (if it had been only 10 meters (33 feet), it would have been correspondingly cheaper). The figure of 11,500 euros is reasonable from my experience. What I would clarify is the depth of the pipes and whether there is any credit if you dig the trench yourself and install sewage, rainwater, potable water, and electricity lines in the same trench. In our case, this was not possible because the subcontractor only digs to the required depth and does not allow other contractors to dig in the same trench.
The reason we declined is: expensive connection and equipment costs compared to other heating systems (gas would have been around 14,000 euros with everything, and the geothermal system we ultimately installed cost about 17,000 euros). Considering the lower annual energy costs—around 250 euros—and the certainty of not being dependent on the district heating company in case of price increases, the decision was made quickly. As mentioned, the dependency is a concern. It should be noted that at a biogas plant like ours, the waste heat is a byproduct of the engines generating electricity (essentially the engine’s cooling water). The heat is not produced separately, so the contractually agreed minimum input temperature is often not met, especially in the morning when everyone is up and showering. This was another reason for our decision. Furthermore, the district heating is provided by the local municipal utility, which aims to operate profitably rather than just covering costs. Currently, corn (maize) is being purchased at twice the price it was at the start of the project, and a shareholder left due to disagreements, which will definitely make it more expensive. Considering that the corn is transported up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) by truck to produce "bio" heat locally, I might as well burn diesel or heating oil in a boiler.
On the positive side, the waste heat is being used—for schools, the outdoor pool, etc. I don’t have experience with wood chip systems…
Since you have no other choice, you have to go for it… Of course, you could still install a wood stove, possibly one that is water-jacketed, but I’m not sure if that makes sense since the base fee will remain anyway…
In our development area, there is a district heating system from a biogas plant, but no mandatory connection. Some have connected, some have not. We decided against it for several reasons.
We would have had an annual base fee of 340 euros for a KfW70 house, while the standard would have been 450 euros (for a connection that a single-family house typically requires). The price per kWh was supposed to be 6.9 cents.
We were asked to pay 15,000 euros for the connection including the transfer station inside the house. However, it should be noted that the connection point in the utility room would have been about 25 meters (82 feet) from the property boundary (if it had been only 10 meters (33 feet), it would have been correspondingly cheaper). The figure of 11,500 euros is reasonable from my experience. What I would clarify is the depth of the pipes and whether there is any credit if you dig the trench yourself and install sewage, rainwater, potable water, and electricity lines in the same trench. In our case, this was not possible because the subcontractor only digs to the required depth and does not allow other contractors to dig in the same trench.
The reason we declined is: expensive connection and equipment costs compared to other heating systems (gas would have been around 14,000 euros with everything, and the geothermal system we ultimately installed cost about 17,000 euros). Considering the lower annual energy costs—around 250 euros—and the certainty of not being dependent on the district heating company in case of price increases, the decision was made quickly. As mentioned, the dependency is a concern. It should be noted that at a biogas plant like ours, the waste heat is a byproduct of the engines generating electricity (essentially the engine’s cooling water). The heat is not produced separately, so the contractually agreed minimum input temperature is often not met, especially in the morning when everyone is up and showering. This was another reason for our decision. Furthermore, the district heating is provided by the local municipal utility, which aims to operate profitably rather than just covering costs. Currently, corn (maize) is being purchased at twice the price it was at the start of the project, and a shareholder left due to disagreements, which will definitely make it more expensive. Considering that the corn is transported up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) by truck to produce "bio" heat locally, I might as well burn diesel or heating oil in a boiler.
On the positive side, the waste heat is being used—for schools, the outdoor pool, etc. I don’t have experience with wood chip systems…
Since you have no other choice, you have to go for it… Of course, you could still install a wood stove, possibly one that is water-jacketed, but I’m not sure if that makes sense since the base fee will remain anyway…
Well, this is just centralized planning on a municipal scale. I think these eco-Stalins on the local councils are a case for the constitutional protection agency.
Putting that aside, depending on connection costs, a good gas condensing boiler is cheaper. Otherwise, you just have to calculate the cost of district heating (per kWh) compared to having your own heating system.
This also seems like a rather restrictive contract. You are forced to purchase energy exclusively from them and must heat your house with a supply temperature of 75°C (167°F) – no underfloor heating allowed. Only God knows how wood chip prices and E-9 wages will develop, but you have no way to counteract it.
Once everything is built and if the district heating company eventually goes bankrupt, you’re obviously stuck in a difficult situation.
From an energy efficiency perspective, district heating is ideal.
Putting that aside, depending on connection costs, a good gas condensing boiler is cheaper. Otherwise, you just have to calculate the cost of district heating (per kWh) compared to having your own heating system.
This also seems like a rather restrictive contract. You are forced to purchase energy exclusively from them and must heat your house with a supply temperature of 75°C (167°F) – no underfloor heating allowed. Only God knows how wood chip prices and E-9 wages will develop, but you have no way to counteract it.
Once everything is built and if the district heating company eventually goes bankrupt, you’re obviously stuck in a difficult situation.
From an energy efficiency perspective, district heating is ideal.
Illo77 schrieb:
I’m not familiar with wood chip systems... Wood chips were inexpensive as long as there were few users and they were basically a byproduct from sawmills. Nowadays, they have the side effect that during logging, the "waste" is no longer left in the forest, which leads to increased soil erosion and a loss of organic material. In the future, wood will likely be harvested specifically for this purpose, and prices are expected to rise.
Underfloor heating is not an issue here; everyone has it, and we had it in our old apartment as well. The supply is adjusted at the transfer station to suit underfloor heating requirements—don’t ask me how, but that’s how it works. Back then, we had an inlet temperature of 70°C (158°F), and in the underfloor heating circuit, it was around 35°C (95°F). It had something to do with the return flow being integrated into the supply line, which regulated the temperature depending on the mixture.
Just like with biogas plants (initially using corn from their own land instead of grain, and now it has to be bought at high prices along with expensive leased land).
maximax schrieb:
Wood chips were cheap as long as there were few users and they were basically waste from sawmills. Nowadays, the side effect is that during timber harvesting, this “waste” is no longer left in the forest, leading to easier soil erosion and loss of organic material in the forests. In the future, wood will probably be harvested specifically for this purpose, and prices will rise.
Just like with biogas plants (initially using corn from their own land instead of grain, and now it has to be bought at high prices along with expensive leased land).
Illo77 schrieb:
Underfloor heating is no problem; everyone here has it, and we did too in our old apartment... It gets adjusted down accordingly in the transfer station to be suitable for underfloor heating. Don’t ask me how, but that’s how it works. Back then, we had an inlet temperature of 70°C (158°F) and around 35°C (95°F) in the underfloor heating circuit... It had to do with the return flow being integrated into the supply line and regulating the temperature depending on the mix... Of course, that’s possible, but it’s essentially energy (or more precisely entropy) waste. The ideal, though more expensive, solution would be to produce the domestic hot water at 75°C (167°F) using district heating and operate the underfloor heating with a heat pump.
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