ᐅ Air-to-water heat pump, gas heating, solar thermal systems in prefab homes – advantages and disadvantages?
Created on: 24 Mar 2016 16:43
I
IGORR
Hello everyone,
I am honestly quite at a loss.
This year, we are building a prefab house consisting of two bungalows, each measuring 10.5 by 10.5 meters (34 by 34 feet), connected by a flat-roofed corridor. The house is fully basemented, and under one bungalow, there is a garage. (I’m not sure if that matters.)
We definitely have:
- Underfloor heating
- A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery
- And a fireplace, just for supplemental heating when we feel like it.
Currently, there are two adults and two children living here, and it’s not impossible that a third child might be born.
The areas to be heated include the two living bungalows, the corridor, and one finished basement area — in total about 350 square meters (3,770 square feet). Would you also heat the garage with the central heating or connect it to the ventilation system? Considering the exhaust fumes. The garage will otherwise be used for gatherings about three times a year.
A ground-source heat pump is off the table. The remaining options are an air-to-water heat pump, heating oil, and gas.
Could you list the pros and cons of these heating methods? And would you generally consider planning with solar thermal systems or photovoltaic panels? I know that nowadays they mainly cover your own energy needs, but it’s still uncertain whether they pay off...
I would really appreciate lots of tips and discussions, as we need to make a decision soon and I have no clue.
Thanks in advance.
I am honestly quite at a loss.
This year, we are building a prefab house consisting of two bungalows, each measuring 10.5 by 10.5 meters (34 by 34 feet), connected by a flat-roofed corridor. The house is fully basemented, and under one bungalow, there is a garage. (I’m not sure if that matters.)
We definitely have:
- Underfloor heating
- A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery
- And a fireplace, just for supplemental heating when we feel like it.
Currently, there are two adults and two children living here, and it’s not impossible that a third child might be born.
The areas to be heated include the two living bungalows, the corridor, and one finished basement area — in total about 350 square meters (3,770 square feet). Would you also heat the garage with the central heating or connect it to the ventilation system? Considering the exhaust fumes. The garage will otherwise be used for gatherings about three times a year.
A ground-source heat pump is off the table. The remaining options are an air-to-water heat pump, heating oil, and gas.
Could you list the pros and cons of these heating methods? And would you generally consider planning with solar thermal systems or photovoltaic panels? I know that nowadays they mainly cover your own energy needs, but it’s still uncertain whether they pay off...
I would really appreciate lots of tips and discussions, as we need to make a decision soon and I have no clue.
Thanks in advance.
blockhauspower schrieb:
There are also wood pelletsHello,
It was already mentioned that only gas is truly practical, although a tank is a bad option, and otherwise only a heat pump is somewhat fault-tolerant.
That excludes all other heating systems.
Olli
Hello again
That was a bit ironic on my part as well.
The questioner asks and gets simple black-and-white answers.
I have made it a habit in such discussions to ask about the customer’s preferences, what options they have, and what is important to them regarding building services/heating systems.
And then options like pellets, firewood, and solar thermal suddenly come up.
Olli
That was a bit ironic on my part as well.
The questioner asks and gets simple black-and-white answers.
I have made it a habit in such discussions to ask about the customer’s preferences, what options they have, and what is important to them regarding building services/heating systems.
And then options like pellets, firewood, and solar thermal suddenly come up.
Olli
His problem is actually not the heating. The demand for that can be determined fairly reliably. His problem will be the hot water demand. When I read "2 houses," that means suddenly (maybe not today, but in the future) quite a few liters of water could be needed all at once. Specifically, when 4 people want to shower one after another, possibly for a long time. Then, with a heat pump, the meter will start spinning quickly. And that, possibly or especially in winter. Of course, you can size the heat pump accordingly, but then it may be completely oversized for most of the time. On top of that, there is the issue of legionella with storage tanks, and so on and so forth.
I always wonder why the home builder does not offer a concept for these issues, or at least something should be included in the energy saving regulation documentation, right? Or is it just a case of: sell it at any cost, and the rest doesn’t matter?
I always wonder why the home builder does not offer a concept for these issues, or at least something should be included in the energy saving regulation documentation, right? Or is it just a case of: sell it at any cost, and the rest doesn’t matter?
It is basically a single-family house...
There are two small bungalows: one contains three bedrooms and a bathroom, and the other has a kitchen, dining and living area, utility room, and storage room. They are connected by a hallway that also leads to the basement. The total area is 220 sq m (2,368 sq ft). The house is fully basemented, but 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of that is a garage. The remaining 120 sq m (1,292 sq ft) need to be supplied with heating as well.
The bungalows and the hallway will be prefabricated houses, while the basement will be masonry-built.
We are two adults and two children, eventually three...
Only the following options come into consideration:
Geothermal energy – ruled out due to stony ground.
Pellets – ruled out due to lack of space and too labor-intensive.
Oil – hardly anyone installs that nowadays.
Gas, possibly combined with solar thermal, could be an option.
Air-to-water heat pump, possibly combined with photovoltaic panels, could also be an option.
We will receive the heating load calculation and the energy performance certificate soon, as we have just signed the contract...
I believe that in terms of costs, even in the long term, both systems will be quite similar overall.
What do you think?
There are two small bungalows: one contains three bedrooms and a bathroom, and the other has a kitchen, dining and living area, utility room, and storage room. They are connected by a hallway that also leads to the basement. The total area is 220 sq m (2,368 sq ft). The house is fully basemented, but 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of that is a garage. The remaining 120 sq m (1,292 sq ft) need to be supplied with heating as well.
The bungalows and the hallway will be prefabricated houses, while the basement will be masonry-built.
We are two adults and two children, eventually three...
Only the following options come into consideration:
Geothermal energy – ruled out due to stony ground.
Pellets – ruled out due to lack of space and too labor-intensive.
Oil – hardly anyone installs that nowadays.
Gas, possibly combined with solar thermal, could be an option.
Air-to-water heat pump, possibly combined with photovoltaic panels, could also be an option.
We will receive the heating load calculation and the energy performance certificate soon, as we have just signed the contract...
I believe that in terms of costs, even in the long term, both systems will be quite similar overall.
What do you think?
EveundGerd26 Mar 2016 19:42Have you already considered a combined heat and power unit for the size?
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