ᐅ Hydrogeological Report – Geothermal Energy, Air-to-Water Heat Pump, or Ice Storage?
Created on: 13 Jul 2022 17:36
F
FCBenne04
Good evening everyone,
We want to replace our gas heating system, which is over 30 years old, with a new one. Additionally, we plan to remove the traditional radiators and install underfloor heating throughout the entire house. We were thinking of milling the pipes into the existing screed, unless a complete renovation with new screed, etc., would be more sensible?
1) Hydrogeological Expert Report: We had considered a geothermal heat pump (ground source heat pump) as the heating option. However, since the building is located in a water protection area, a hydrogeological expert report is required to assess whether geothermal energy is permitted and to what extent (depth, brine, number of boreholes). The water authority is very strict about this. I have attached the information sheet with the requirements for the report.
Have you ever heard of such a hydrogeological expert report, and do you know what the costs might be? We really have no idea how to estimate this and wanted to ask if anyone has had similar experiences.
2) Comparison of Air-to-Water Heat Pump and Geothermal Systems: These two systems are often compared. One person says one thing, another says something else. But I haven’t found or heard any clear facts yet. Geothermal is said to be more efficient, but air-to-water heat pumps have become very powerful and therefore potentially more cost-effective. The trend seems to be towards air-to-water heat pumps, which are somewhat cheaper to install than geothermal systems. Prices have increased significantly everywhere recently. Could someone provide us with more detailed information on this topic to help with our decision?
3) Ice Storage Heating: The heating/well installer even suggested an ice storage heating system as an alternative because it does not require a permit. However, I don’t know anyone who uses such a heating system. What do you think about this?
Thank you very much for your help and best regards!
We want to replace our gas heating system, which is over 30 years old, with a new one. Additionally, we plan to remove the traditional radiators and install underfloor heating throughout the entire house. We were thinking of milling the pipes into the existing screed, unless a complete renovation with new screed, etc., would be more sensible?
1) Hydrogeological Expert Report: We had considered a geothermal heat pump (ground source heat pump) as the heating option. However, since the building is located in a water protection area, a hydrogeological expert report is required to assess whether geothermal energy is permitted and to what extent (depth, brine, number of boreholes). The water authority is very strict about this. I have attached the information sheet with the requirements for the report.
Have you ever heard of such a hydrogeological expert report, and do you know what the costs might be? We really have no idea how to estimate this and wanted to ask if anyone has had similar experiences.
2) Comparison of Air-to-Water Heat Pump and Geothermal Systems: These two systems are often compared. One person says one thing, another says something else. But I haven’t found or heard any clear facts yet. Geothermal is said to be more efficient, but air-to-water heat pumps have become very powerful and therefore potentially more cost-effective. The trend seems to be towards air-to-water heat pumps, which are somewhat cheaper to install than geothermal systems. Prices have increased significantly everywhere recently. Could someone provide us with more detailed information on this topic to help with our decision?
3) Ice Storage Heating: The heating/well installer even suggested an ice storage heating system as an alternative because it does not require a permit. However, I don’t know anyone who uses such a heating system. What do you think about this?
Thank you very much for your help and best regards!
A
akanezumi10 Aug 2022 10:31As mentioned before, the additional costs for a deep geothermal borehole will probably not be economically worthwhile. However, it is a more efficient and less error-prone heating system. Plus, it allows for cheaper cooling in summer compared to an air-to-water heat pump.
We also live in a water protection zone IIIa (Lower Saxony). We were directly prohibited from having a deep borehole. The local water authority then suggested near-surface geothermal energy (horizontal ground loop collector). About nine months later, when applying for permission, they no longer wanted to approve it. I was only allowed to operate the horizontal loop with pure water (water hazard class 0). That is not really practical... so unfortunately, we will now only install an air-to-water heat pump. I would have accepted the extra costs, especially for the more affordable summer cooling... what I find particularly frustrating is that there are several deep boreholes in the immediate neighborhood... we were just two years too late :-/
We also live in a water protection zone IIIa (Lower Saxony). We were directly prohibited from having a deep borehole. The local water authority then suggested near-surface geothermal energy (horizontal ground loop collector). About nine months later, when applying for permission, they no longer wanted to approve it. I was only allowed to operate the horizontal loop with pure water (water hazard class 0). That is not really practical... so unfortunately, we will now only install an air-to-water heat pump. I would have accepted the extra costs, especially for the more affordable summer cooling... what I find particularly frustrating is that there are several deep boreholes in the immediate neighborhood... we were just two years too late :-/
S
SaniererNRW12310 Aug 2022 11:16akanezumi schrieb:
Still, it is more efficientYep. akanezumi schrieb:
Less prone to errors heating systemNot really. And if there is ever a problem, for example with the brine pipe, it becomes significantly more expensive than with an air-to-water heat pump. akanezumi schrieb:
And in summer you can cool cheaper than with an air-to-water heat pump.Neither system really allows proper cooling. And anyone building today should consider installing a photovoltaic system right away. Then the advantage of cheaper cooling disappears anyway.
A
akanezumi10 Aug 2022 12:32SaniererNRW123 schrieb:
Not really. And if there’s a problem, for example, with the brine pipe, it gets significantly more expensive than with an air-water heat pump. Yes, that is certainly true. Problems with the brine pipe are annoying. But in general, an air-water heat pump is much more vulnerable, mainly because part of its technology is installed outside year-round, exposed to wind and weather.
SaniererNRW123 schrieb:
You really can’t cool effectively with either.
And anyone building today should seriously consider a photovoltaic system right from the start. Then cheaper cooling won’t matter anymore. Let’s call it “temperature control” rather than “cooling” ;-) No matter how we call it, geothermal is more cost-effective because only the pump runs, not the compressor.
Regarding photovoltaics, I fully agree with you. I don’t understand why there still isn’t a requirement for new builds. Still, it’s important to focus on the building’s energy efficiency. Just because we can cover part of our electricity demand ourselves doesn’t mean we should stop building efficient systems. Every kilowatt-hour we don’t consume ourselves can be used by someone else (e.g., people who don’t have the option to install their own photovoltaic system).
Similar topics