ᐅ Is an additional €30,000 for geothermal heating worthwhile? Any experiences?
Created on: 14 Mar 2022 16:00
N
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!
B
Benutzer20016 Mar 2022 07:58NBN2022 schrieb:
When explicitly asked about an air source heat pump: only ground source heat was approved. Could you maybe provide me with a "source" that shows I don’t have to get approval for the "non-approved" one, even though the development plan depicts all views of the house and property and this is a change? Thanks a lot. No, I cannot provide you with a source because none exists. It’s actually the other way around: the development plan, including the written regulations, defines what is allowed and what is prohibited. If something is not prohibited (and does not conflict with general building regulations), then it is permitted. That’s why I keep asking where it says the air source heat pump is forbidden.
Based on your description, it is allowed (possibly subject to compliance with setback distances). In that sense, my statement that the building authority is not interested still stands. You could also install an indoor-only unit without affecting the external appearance.
P.S. Don’t rely too much on colorful pictures.