Hello dear community,
we have installed a decentralized ventilation system from Südwind (Ambientika smart). The advantages, such as always having fresh air, fewer pollen particles inside the house, and noise protection thanks to closed windows, are really appealing. However, the costs for purchasing and installing the units are definitely not cheap!
The contractor told us that we can save on heating costs and that the investment pays off within 10 years. Is that possible? I mean, these systems – even with heat recovery – still consume electricity, and we still need to heat the house, right? On top of that, there are maintenance costs (new filters, etc.).
Has anyone done a detailed calculation or has knowledge about the numbers?
we have installed a decentralized ventilation system from Südwind (Ambientika smart). The advantages, such as always having fresh air, fewer pollen particles inside the house, and noise protection thanks to closed windows, are really appealing. However, the costs for purchasing and installing the units are definitely not cheap!
The contractor told us that we can save on heating costs and that the investment pays off within 10 years. Is that possible? I mean, these systems – even with heat recovery – still consume electricity, and we still need to heat the house, right? On top of that, there are maintenance costs (new filters, etc.).
Has anyone done a detailed calculation or has knowledge about the numbers?
In most cases, it does not save money, or in situations where it might be financially beneficial, there are likely other options with a much greater impact.
However, the gain in comfort is as high as, let’s say, with a dishwasher, which probably does not save money either (of course, this depends on user behavior, but the same applies to a ventilation system), yet most people who own one would not want to be without it.
Of course, you can wash dishes by hand; many people choose to do so voluntarily. But those who have a dishwasher would, in my personal estimate, probably purchase one again about 90% of the time, provided it is affordable.
However, the gain in comfort is as high as, let’s say, with a dishwasher, which probably does not save money either (of course, this depends on user behavior, but the same applies to a ventilation system), yet most people who own one would not want to be without it.
Of course, you can wash dishes by hand; many people choose to do so voluntarily. But those who have a dishwasher would, in my personal estimate, probably purchase one again about 90% of the time, provided it is affordable.
Tolentino schrieb:
In most cases, it doesn’t save money, or where it might even be financially viable, there are very likely other options with much greater impact.
However, the increase in comfort is as significant as, let’s say, with a dishwasher, A dishwasher can be installed at any time without having to temporarily remove the floor coverings and underfloor heating (punctuation emoticons are really missed sometimes). For this reason, the retrofit version “decentralized” mainly exists – whereby “decentralized” is also synonymous with “not networked” (all inefficient small-scale systems) and expensive due to basically an anti-synergy effect: imagine an internal combustion engine with a battery, starter, and catalytic converter for each cylinder. In new construction, a decentralized controlled residential ventilation system would be either 1. a great solution if only a few rooms are to be equipped, or 2. (as the majority or full installation) a fool’s errand, which in my opinion nobody practices except the provider “Kern-Haus.” For a granny flat, a decentralized controlled residential ventilation system can also be economically viable even in new buildings.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Tolentino schrieb:
Yes, an important note. My analogy was only meant to highlight that a technical system can make sense on levels beyond just the economic one. My addition points out that even in terms of limiting the scope, the economic aspect goes beyond the worst-case scenario of “just not worth it.” If I have a used car with manual crank windows and want electric windows, I can remove the cranks and install little motors— not very elegant, but no big deal. However, if my house doesn’t have a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery and I want to retrofit it throughout, this practically requires gutting the building, which, depending on the construction or renovation year, can be an economic nightmare. A dishwasher, by contrast, can be installed in an existing cabinet compartment, and often the door panel can be reused as the front.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hmm, I don’t see it as that critical. You can also install that later using flat ducts in a suspended ceiling. As long as you don’t start with a clear ceiling height of only 2.25m (7 ft 5 in) — which would indeed be a planning mistake — it should work fine.
However, I do agree with the general statement that if you want to achieve the last 10-20% of efficiency beyond the Pareto principle, it’s always more cost-effective to handle that at the start of a project rather than at the end (excluding inventions of miracle technologies in the meantime).
However, I do agree with the general statement that if you want to achieve the last 10-20% of efficiency beyond the Pareto principle, it’s always more cost-effective to handle that at the start of a project rather than at the end (excluding inventions of miracle technologies in the meantime).
W
wiltshire9 Jun 2025 20:46Tolentino schrieb:
The gain in comfort is about the same as, say, with a dishwasher,I think that’s a good comparison. Both are machines that take over a task which is generally easy and usually quick to do yourself. However, this gain in comfort is reduced by the fact that these appliances require regular attention and maintenance and need to be replaced after more or less several years. By the way, I don’t own either of these machines – even though I’m not really against technology. They simply don’t appeal to me.
Similar topics