Hello everyone,
After a heating fire in the basement, my parents’ pellet heating system is no longer usable. A new one is needed. There are two options:
a) New pellet heating: The problem is that this would require additional renovations because of new fire protection regulations (for example, the chimney must be extended by more than 2 meters (6.5 feet)).
b) Possibly a heat pump, especially if the insurance does not cover a new pellet heating system.
The house is a mid-terrace from the 1980s with only two exterior walls, partially fitted with new windows in the 2000s, a (probably slightly) insulated roof, and underfloor heating throughout. The heating keeps the house comfortably warm without making the floors too hot. There is a very small photovoltaic system facing south (2 kWp, quite old). The heating engineer visited today along with the chimney inspector. Both said that it would first be necessary to calculate whether a heat pump would even work, and if so, operating costs would be significantly higher than with pellets.
I thought that with the underfloor heating and the other conditions, this would be a straightforward choice? Does it really matter which type of heating produces the water at the flow temperature suitable for underfloor heating? Or am I missing something?
After a heating fire in the basement, my parents’ pellet heating system is no longer usable. A new one is needed. There are two options:
a) New pellet heating: The problem is that this would require additional renovations because of new fire protection regulations (for example, the chimney must be extended by more than 2 meters (6.5 feet)).
b) Possibly a heat pump, especially if the insurance does not cover a new pellet heating system.
The house is a mid-terrace from the 1980s with only two exterior walls, partially fitted with new windows in the 2000s, a (probably slightly) insulated roof, and underfloor heating throughout. The heating keeps the house comfortably warm without making the floors too hot. There is a very small photovoltaic system facing south (2 kWp, quite old). The heating engineer visited today along with the chimney inspector. Both said that it would first be necessary to calculate whether a heat pump would even work, and if so, operating costs would be significantly higher than with pellets.
I thought that with the underfloor heating and the other conditions, this would be a straightforward choice? Does it really matter which type of heating produces the water at the flow temperature suitable for underfloor heating? Or am I missing something?
M
magik198532 Jan 2025 16:03ateliersiegel schrieb:
Today, the installer of our heat pump came by because, after loud rattling from the unit outside near the fan, it stopped producing heat.
This happened on a holiday, as expected ;-)
He simply switched it off and on again, and it’s currently running.
The installer couldn’t say what the problem was (he wasn’t familiar with it yet), and the manufacturer needs to send someone, which they hopefully will do soon.
We were and still are aware that this technology is still somewhat "new" and problems can occur sometimes.
I think it’s clearly better not to burn gas or oil (as we did before), so I accept this somewhat uncertain situation without hesitation.
New technology takes time to be perfected, and if no one uses it, it will never improve...
We have two wood-burning stoves at home and wood stored in the garage, so in case of emergency we can manage for a while that way.
:-) That’s why I decided to go for a slightly older Daikin model that has been on the market for 5 years. Of course, anything can happen. The advantage of heat pumps is that they come with longer warranties.
For older houses, the chimney usually needs to be renovated after switching from gas or oil connections. There are also chimney sweep costs every year, and so on.
Naturally, any money saved by using a heat pump should be set aside because anything can happen.
I had a direct expansion heat pump installed 10 years ago. It was a custom development by a local provider using purchased components. During a maintenance visit in early 2024, I had a long conversation with the technician. Meanwhile, the company has switched to Daikin and now serves not only new constructions but especially existing buildings. He was very convinced of the Daikin systems.
A heat pump is definitely not "uncharted territory." The technology is basically inside every refrigerator, and in many countries heat pumps have been in use for a long time. However, many heating technicians in Germany never wanted to install them because they were unfamiliar with the technology or did not want to deal with it.
At my parents’ house, the technician spent months basically replacing the entire gas heating system and still couldn’t find the fault. They were lucky that my father, as the tenant, restarted the heating system every day; otherwise, the technician or landlord would have had to come by daily. The problem could only be resolved by the manufacturer. So, this issue is not unique to heat pumps.
A heat pump is definitely not "uncharted territory." The technology is basically inside every refrigerator, and in many countries heat pumps have been in use for a long time. However, many heating technicians in Germany never wanted to install them because they were unfamiliar with the technology or did not want to deal with it.
At my parents’ house, the technician spent months basically replacing the entire gas heating system and still couldn’t find the fault. They were lucky that my father, as the tenant, restarted the heating system every day; otherwise, the technician or landlord would have had to come by daily. The problem could only be resolved by the manufacturer. So, this issue is not unique to heat pumps.
Addendum: My parents have used about 5 tons of pellets per year (including hot water), which would correspond to an energy demand of approximately 25,000 kWh. However, their heating system is already 24 years old. Based on this, I estimate that operating costs with a heat pump would be higher. If I calculate correctly (25,000 kWh divided by a COP of 3–4), the electricity consumption would be around 6,000–8,000 kWh, resulting in electricity costs of about €175 (or more) depending on the contract — roughly €70 more per month compared to the current pellet heating system. Of course, this calculation could change if some parameters are different.
If the insurance covers the damage, this question probably wouldn’t even arise, since they would only pay for a replacement pellet heating system.
If the insurance covers the damage, this question probably wouldn’t even arise, since they would only pay for a replacement pellet heating system.
ateliersiegel6 Jan 2025 14:20ateliersiegel schrieb:
Today, the installer for our heat pump came by because it had stopped producing heat after heavy rattling from the outdoor unit with the fan. Now everything is working as it should. One function—the defrost control—was newly adjusted.
The technicians’ assessment was that the fan had iced up, and this setting is meant to prevent that.
This adjustment consumes a bit more electricity, and without it, operation would be more efficient.
The wind must not blow too strongly into these units.
They are usually placed against a house wall. That would have been next to our front door, which we didn’t want.
That’s why I made this cover, although it’s now believed that too much wind still comes in from the side.
I was especially proud of the design detail that allows the entire cover to be easily folded away if maintenance is needed (although that is supposedly only necessary from the front, which is open anyway).
Now I’m thinking about a solution for the side...
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