ᐅ Experiences with Ground Source Heat Pump Heating Systems

Hello dear forum,

I have to ask a probably "silly" question regarding a heating system operated with a ground source heat pump...

I am currently planning to build a house. A colleague of mine chose a heating system with heat recovery ventilation and told me that he can no longer ventilate by opening windows, as the ventilation is now regulated inside the house. To me, this means that the windows should no longer be opened. Is that correct?

My main question actually concerns heating systems operated with a ground source heat pump. Can I ventilate normally by opening windows in such a house, just as in a house heated with oil or gas? Or should this also be avoided with ground source heat pump systems?

Personally, I can’t imagine opening a window in the morning after getting up... Somehow, Google doesn’t really provide an answer to this question.

Maybe you can help.

Thank you!

You can, of course, ventilate as you please—even with a ventilation system—but it’s not absolutely necessary. From an energy efficiency standpoint, ventilating during winter is only partially effective.

I’m not sure what this has to do with heating... There is a type of heating system called an exhaust air heat pump that uses the exhaust air inside the house to generate heat, recovering warmth from the outgoing air. Cold air then flows in from outside. In this device, ventilation and heating are combined. In other systems, these are two separate systems—the heat generation system and the ventilation system.

What is the advantage of a ground source heat pump compared to an exhaust air heat pump?

On one hand, you can install a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, and on the other hand, it operates more efficiently.

If you’re considering installing an exhaust air heat pump, I hope you’re building a passive house. Even with Kfw55 standard, an exhaust air heat pump is the completely wrong heating choice. An exhaust air heat pump extracts energy from the exhaust air (makes sense...). This can be reasonable within a passive house concept, but otherwise... no 😉

A major home builder with a big red V at the beginning has often installed these, and a quick search will give you thousands of negative reviews. Just google “Nibe F750 and power consumption”... in winter, it’s basically an electric heating system with the corresponding costs.

In contrast, geothermal energy draws energy from the ground (also logical...). Whether gas, air source heat pump, geothermal, or district heating is more economical depends on the exact conditions.

It seems to be working by now. Homeowners are documenting their energy consumption here in the forum.

If you do the math, 3,000 kWh is about 62 € per month for heating – with geothermal energy, you might be around 40 €.