Hello,
here I would like to share some experiences and data regarding my brine heat pump and deep drilling, based in part on the expert’s "questionnaire":
a) What is the soil composition on your property?
Up to 3m (10 feet) silty, fine sandy, clayey soil
Up to 4m (13 feet) slope debris, rock fragments
Then bedrock (mainly limestone)
b) How deep was the drilling?
Drilled twice to a depth of 72m (236 feet)
c) How much did the drilling cost?
€10,400 including double U-probes DN25
Grouting material with 2.0 W/mK thermal conductivity
Permitting process (building permit / planning permission)
Pressure-tight house entry at the basement and underground routing of supply lines (about 25m (82 feet))
Filling/draining equipment, filling, pressure testing, etc. (all inclusive)
d) How much did the system cost?
System: Tecalor TTc 05 with heating output at B0/W35 of 5.8 kW and coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.8
Cost: €9,800
e) Were there any difficulties during installation, if so, what kind?
Because the water used to flush out the drilled material during drilling seeped away, a "small compressor" was needed to blow it out with air. However, it had to be placed on a neighbor’s property who had not yet started building. The machine was the size and approximate weight of a 20-ton truck but was off-road capable. This caused a 2-day delay because the compressor first had to be transported to our site. No additional costs were charged.
f) How is the daily operation?
"Like a refrigerator." Once the parameters on the heating system are correctly set, the only thing that should be done is occasionally reading the information/data such as operating hours and source temperature. Otherwise, it runs "on its own," just like any heating system. When the door is closed, the unit is virtually inaudible. Very discreet since, apart from the cabinet in the utility room, nothing else is visible (all brine pipes are underground).
e) What are the operating costs for which living area?
Currently, a living area of 180sqm (1937 sqft) is heated, plus an additional 65sqm (700 sqft) of cellar space within the insulated thermal envelope (these rooms are around 15-16°C (59-61°F) on the coldest days). From September 2014 to September 2015, 2,000 kWh of electricity was consumed for heating and hot water (2 adults, 1 baby, 1 toddler). The house is a KfW-70 standard building according to the 2009 energy saving regulations, which already met the required technical standards before the central ventilation system with enthalpy heat exchanger was installed (we decided to add this after the initial applications).
f) to be continued ....
Note regarding the comparison of the coefficient of performance (COP):
Since optimizing the heating curve and settings at the end of last year, the system has had a COP of about 5.5. Operating hours are around 1200; the deep borehole was drilled approximately 20% deeper than initially recommended by the companies, at our own request.
here I would like to share some experiences and data regarding my brine heat pump and deep drilling, based in part on the expert’s "questionnaire":
a) What is the soil composition on your property?
Up to 3m (10 feet) silty, fine sandy, clayey soil
Up to 4m (13 feet) slope debris, rock fragments
Then bedrock (mainly limestone)
b) How deep was the drilling?
Drilled twice to a depth of 72m (236 feet)
c) How much did the drilling cost?
€10,400 including double U-probes DN25
Grouting material with 2.0 W/mK thermal conductivity
Permitting process (building permit / planning permission)
Pressure-tight house entry at the basement and underground routing of supply lines (about 25m (82 feet))
Filling/draining equipment, filling, pressure testing, etc. (all inclusive)
d) How much did the system cost?
System: Tecalor TTc 05 with heating output at B0/W35 of 5.8 kW and coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.8
Cost: €9,800
e) Were there any difficulties during installation, if so, what kind?
Because the water used to flush out the drilled material during drilling seeped away, a "small compressor" was needed to blow it out with air. However, it had to be placed on a neighbor’s property who had not yet started building. The machine was the size and approximate weight of a 20-ton truck but was off-road capable. This caused a 2-day delay because the compressor first had to be transported to our site. No additional costs were charged.
f) How is the daily operation?
"Like a refrigerator." Once the parameters on the heating system are correctly set, the only thing that should be done is occasionally reading the information/data such as operating hours and source temperature. Otherwise, it runs "on its own," just like any heating system. When the door is closed, the unit is virtually inaudible. Very discreet since, apart from the cabinet in the utility room, nothing else is visible (all brine pipes are underground).
e) What are the operating costs for which living area?
Currently, a living area of 180sqm (1937 sqft) is heated, plus an additional 65sqm (700 sqft) of cellar space within the insulated thermal envelope (these rooms are around 15-16°C (59-61°F) on the coldest days). From September 2014 to September 2015, 2,000 kWh of electricity was consumed for heating and hot water (2 adults, 1 baby, 1 toddler). The house is a KfW-70 standard building according to the 2009 energy saving regulations, which already met the required technical standards before the central ventilation system with enthalpy heat exchanger was installed (we decided to add this after the initial applications).
f) to be continued ....
Note regarding the comparison of the coefficient of performance (COP):
Since optimizing the heating curve and settings at the end of last year, the system has had a COP of about 5.5. Operating hours are around 1200; the deep borehole was drilled approximately 20% deeper than initially recommended by the companies, at our own request.
The application must be submitted before commissioning – as far as I remember, however, you don’t have to wait for the funding approval to start.
The payment takes ages and seems to last forever (~7 months it took for us).
So, it’s best if you just call BAFA – they have even set up a special hotline for this now.
The payment takes ages and seems to last forever (~7 months it took for us).
So, it’s best if you just call BAFA – they have even set up a special hotline for this now.
Ok, thanks for the information. I will contact BAFA as well.
I need an assessment of some specific numbers...
The rebate for the air-to-water heat pump is about 7,000 EUR.
Your subsidies amount to 5,250 EUR (4,000 EUR BAFA heating, 500 EUR BAFA drilling, 750 EUR utility company heating). That totals 12,250 EUR.
There is an offer for a Tecalor TTC ground-source heat pump and drilling for a capacity of 5.7 kW, priced at 18,500 EUR all-inclusive.
This results in a difference of 6,250 EUR. That is quite a significant difference. It will probably take several years for this to pay off—or what do you think?
Many here have already installed such a ground-source heat pump and received an offer, so the price seems justified?
Thanks a lot for your support.
I need an assessment of some specific numbers...
The rebate for the air-to-water heat pump is about 7,000 EUR.
Your subsidies amount to 5,250 EUR (4,000 EUR BAFA heating, 500 EUR BAFA drilling, 750 EUR utility company heating). That totals 12,250 EUR.
There is an offer for a Tecalor TTC ground-source heat pump and drilling for a capacity of 5.7 kW, priced at 18,500 EUR all-inclusive.
This results in a difference of 6,250 EUR. That is quite a significant difference. It will probably take several years for this to pay off—or what do you think?
Many here have already installed such a ground-source heat pump and received an offer, so the price seems justified?
Thanks a lot for your support.
Price including installation and piping, etc., seems reasonable. With a difference of €30 per month (just a rough, not too unrealistic estimate), that would be 17 years. However, the drilling will last significantly longer than the heating system. That’s something to keep in mind.
I think I would go for it—at least if the budget hasn’t already been blown on the nice corner bathtub with whirlpool function.
I think I would go for it—at least if the budget hasn’t already been blown on the nice corner bathtub with whirlpool function.
Hehe – You seem to know me pretty well already.
Yes, I roughly estimated a difference of 30 EUR. That’s accurate—the borehole will definitely last longer, but whether a modern heating system will still function for 17 years? I tend to doubt that.
One could also mention the advantage of lower noise levels with a brine heat pump, but is that extra cost really worth it?
As you said, the budget is unfortunately running out.
Yes, I roughly estimated a difference of 30 EUR. That’s accurate—the borehole will definitely last longer, but whether a modern heating system will still function for 17 years? I tend to doubt that.
One could also mention the advantage of lower noise levels with a brine heat pump, but is that extra cost really worth it?
As you said, the budget is unfortunately running out.