ᐅ Air-to-water or air-to-air heat pump for a new single-family home, 150 sqm?

Created on: 25 Jul 2015 15:58
L
larina
Hello

There are probably similar topics to my question already, but many of the terms still feel like foreign words to me.

Our situation:
We are planning to build a new single-family house of 150sqm (1,615 sq ft) in timber frame construction (prefabricated house) in 2016/2017.
The builder’s “special offer” includes an air-to-air heat pump (Nibe750) for €9,000.
In our development area, neither natural gas connection nor geothermal energy is possible. We do not want either a gas or oil tank.
Now we are facing the question: air-to-air heat pump or air-to-water heat pump?
What are the advantages and disadvantages? What should we consider when making our decision?

Our current plans:
- Underfloor heating
- Possibly solar panels
- Conduits planned for potential future photovoltaic system
- Controlled mechanical ventilation system

Now my question to you:
Have you faced a similar decision and what experiences have you had?
Is an air-to-water heat pump really relatively noisy?
Maybe someone with professional knowledge about heating systems can provide us with information.

Many thanks in advance for reading my questions
O
oleda222
25 Jul 2015 21:04
For a 2500 sqm (27,000 sq ft) flat site, a trench collector that can be relatively easily installed as a DIY project would likely be suitable.
L
larina
25 Jul 2015 21:42
That would be a very good alternative. The builder is an excavator operator – so the self-performed work would be quite feasible.
Thanks for your responses. I will take a closer look into the details of the collectors.
L
larina
14 Sep 2015 12:46
Hello

I am bringing this topic back up.

At the moment, we are at the point where we want to have the heating load calculated as soon as possible and then choose a heating system.

Now my questions:
In the next few days, we have a detailed meeting with the architect, including a site visit to finalize the floor plan and design.
Only then can the heating load be calculated. Who do I commission for this? The prefab house company? A separate firm? I don’t want to embarrass myself, I’m just completely clueless ops:

Our current favorite:
- Ground-source heat pump with trench collector
- Fireplace
- Photovoltaic preparation
- NO solar thermal

One more question:
I would like a controlled ventilation system. Is this advisable? What exactly do I need to consider regarding the fireplace and the kitchen exhaust hood?

All of this feels so unclear to me, and I’m really afraid of making mistakes or regretting decisions later.
D
Doc.Schnaggls
14 Sep 2015 15:44
Hello,

When building a new house, I would definitely not skip a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.

Here are some important points to consider:

- The wood-burning stove should have a DIBt certification, a self-closing door, and air supply dependent on the room air.

- The kitchen exhaust should be a recirculating hood.

If you meet these two requirements, you usually won’t need a differential pressure monitor for the stove or a window contact switch for the exhaust hood—although this depends on the local chimney sweep’s regulations.

Our heating technician adjusted our mechanical ventilation system to maintain a slight positive pressure inside the house. This provides extra safety, ensuring that if the stove is not perfectly sealed, no smoke gases enter the living space.

Best regards,

Dirk
J
jx7
15 Sep 2015 08:30
If you are using geothermal energy, make sure that the calculated annual performance factor (EPF) is greater than 4.5 so that you can secure the €4,000–4,500 (approx. $4,200–4,700) subsidy from BAFA. A well-known company that sells and installs horizontal ground collector heating systems across Germany is Metternich. Many home builders do not offer this and only provide deep borehole systems.
L
larina
15 Sep 2015 17:24
@jx7 :
Thanks for the tip about the subsidy and Metternich!
We are still considering whether to remove the heating system from the contract with the prefab house company – we still need to clarify how that would work...

@Doc.Schnaggls
Thanks for your reply. Everything has been noted.

Similar topics