Hello everyone,
We just had a conversation with the company responsible for our heating and plumbing installation.
First of all – we are building a large single-family house with a basement, two full floors, and a hipped roof with a 22° (22 degrees) pitch. Wall construction is 17.5 cm (7 inches) sand-lime brick, insulation with mineral wool, plus a brick façade.
We are building according to the 2012 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2012) and are not aiming to achieve a higher standard.
Our original plan was:
- Gas heating with underfloor heating on all levels, no wall-mounted radiators, and a central mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.
Now, after the discussion, I’m totally confused. The company recommends:
- Heating via an air-to-air heat pump, solar thermal for hot water, plus gas to support hot water
- Underfloor heating only on the ground floor and first floor, excluding children’s rooms and bedrooms (to avoid overheating during sleep), with the rest heated by wall-mounted radiators on a second heating circuit
- No mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery due to noise issues
I can understand reconsidering the mechanical ventilation system because of potential constant noise and airflow, so we might want to think that over.
But I’ve never heard of combining a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal in one system!
Solar thermal is said to be uneconomical anyway, especially with a roof pitch of only 22° (22 degrees), right? We also don’t have a direct south-facing roof orientation. Does anyone have links or information about the economic viability?
Our main priorities are comfort; cost and economic efficiency are not the primary focus, but I don’t want to end up building something completely pointless either. The problem is, we need some sort of renewable energy source to comply with the Energy Saving Ordinance. The thermal protection report is not available yet, but I definitely need some concrete information for the next meeting. It would be great if someone could help!
We just had a conversation with the company responsible for our heating and plumbing installation.
First of all – we are building a large single-family house with a basement, two full floors, and a hipped roof with a 22° (22 degrees) pitch. Wall construction is 17.5 cm (7 inches) sand-lime brick, insulation with mineral wool, plus a brick façade.
We are building according to the 2012 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2012) and are not aiming to achieve a higher standard.
Our original plan was:
- Gas heating with underfloor heating on all levels, no wall-mounted radiators, and a central mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.
Now, after the discussion, I’m totally confused. The company recommends:
- Heating via an air-to-air heat pump, solar thermal for hot water, plus gas to support hot water
- Underfloor heating only on the ground floor and first floor, excluding children’s rooms and bedrooms (to avoid overheating during sleep), with the rest heated by wall-mounted radiators on a second heating circuit
- No mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery due to noise issues
I can understand reconsidering the mechanical ventilation system because of potential constant noise and airflow, so we might want to think that over.
But I’ve never heard of combining a heat pump, gas, and solar thermal in one system!
Solar thermal is said to be uneconomical anyway, especially with a roof pitch of only 22° (22 degrees), right? We also don’t have a direct south-facing roof orientation. Does anyone have links or information about the economic viability?
Our main priorities are comfort; cost and economic efficiency are not the primary focus, but I don’t want to end up building something completely pointless either. The problem is, we need some sort of renewable energy source to comply with the Energy Saving Ordinance. The thermal protection report is not available yet, but I definitely need some concrete information for the next meeting. It would be great if someone could help!
S
Sebastian799 Jun 2015 17:44Terrible what your heating technician told you – no knowledge at all.
A heating load calculation determines the size of the heating system – this is usually not done by an installer, but rather by an engineering firm.
Heat pumps have existed for decades.
A heating load calculation determines the size of the heating system – this is usually not done by an installer, but rather by an engineering firm.
Heat pumps have existed for decades.