ᐅ Are heating block power plants unpopular?

Hello everyone,

Over the weekend, I learned that there are combined heat and power plants (CHP) for single-family homes. Specifically, the product "der Dachs" was mentioned. However, I haven't found any discussions about this topic in this forum. Why is that?

Are CHPs so new, or are they simply not well suited for single-family homes?

Hello,

JayBeOh schrieb:
....Are CHP units that new or simply not suitable for single-family homes?

Not everything that makes sense, has proven effective, or is suitable for large-scale units (industrial, commercial) can be easily transferred or scaled down to smaller units (single-family house, two-family house).
Combined heat and power (CHP) systems are usually uneconomical in this context!

Best regards.

Hello €Uri,

Thank you for your reply. What is causing this inefficiency? Is it the initial investment costs, or are too many excess materials being produced that go unused?

Hello,
yes, investment costs, utilization rate, but also service and repair costs.

Best regards.

The "Dachs" unit is generally too large for a single-family house. It is only produced in one model. However, there are smaller units available from other manufacturers. In that performance range, the economics are even less favorable. The ratio between heating energy and electricity consumption is simply not advantageous. The initial cost is relatively high, and the expected maintenance and repair expenses are quite substantial. From what I have been able to find out, especially the smaller units are not particularly mature or reliable.

I will have the opportunity to gain experience with the "Dachs" from the end of this year, as I have chosen this unit. However, it will be installed in a commercial facility. Whether it makes sense will probably only become clear after several years. Given the existing conditions, there was no real alternative. Using only gas or oil is hardly possible from a legal standpoint anymore, a large pellet heating system is too labor-intensive and prone to faults, and heat pumps could not meet the peak heating loads.

Hello €uro,

Thank you for the clarification.

Hello Waldorf,

Thank you for the detailed report. Even though it may seem very optimistic, it would be very interesting if you could share your experiences with the roof here or in a separate thread.