ᐅ Heat pump or underfloor heating – any experiences?

Hello everyone

I am currently facing a heating decision for a house with a floor area of about 35m2 (375 sq ft). It will be extended by approximately one room of around 12m2 (130 sq ft). Heating load is roughly 6-7 kW. The roof (south-facing) is also finished. Windows will be replaced and insulated later. The goal is to be able to live there at least partially year-round (2-3 people) – so it’s not just a weekend house. Gas, district heating, and pellets are excluded.

The following options are under consideration:

Option 1
- Air-to-water split heat pump BWL 1s with underfloor heating Variotherm
- Wood stove
- Solar thermal system later on

Option 2
- Thermal parquet flooring
- Wood stove
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Other considerations:

We have looked at the thermal parquet in a 120m2 (1,292 sq ft) house. There, electricity costs for heating were about 100 euros per month. At first glance, this seems to work very well.

Especially with Option 1, one could use a wood stove with a water jacket and have a good combination with a small solar thermal system.

The construction costs for Option 1 are considerably higher, but operating costs are probably lower. However, with such a small house, operating costs for both options are likely affordable.

The advantage of Option 2 is that it heats up immediately, installation is simpler, and it takes up less space.

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It would be very helpful to get some advice and tips.

Thank you very much and best regards
Martin

35 m² (375 sq ft) and a heating load of 6-7 kW is almost like having no insulation at all.

The 6-7 kW include the attic conversion and the extension. I phrased that a bit incorrectly.

Since you only have electricity or a stove as options, I would prefer a heat pump/stove combination because it offers better efficiency than parquet flooring.

An air conditioning system would also be an option.

However, you should not be misled by the costs.

If you actually have 6-7 kW, you are roughly at the level of a typical single-family house built to energy-saving regulation standards, and the costs will be in that range as well.

Thank you for the assessment. Yes, in the long term, the heat pump/combo is certainly more cost-effective.

The plan is to use the stove a lot in winter when it is really cold (which for us is a maximum of 14 days in the wine-growing region, and there is hardly any snow).

The warm parquet floor probably sounds too good to be true.