ᐅ Is the additional cost of an air-to-water heat pump compared to gas justified?
Created on: 13 Feb 2022 14:20
S
SoL
Hello everyone,
I could use your advice on choosing a heating system. We (2 adults, 4 children) are currently in talks with a general contractor (GC) about a house, and so far it sounds pretty good. The scope of work is acceptable. We are not aiming for a specific KfW energy standard but expect to land somewhere between 70 and 55. The heating load calculation is not finished yet since the contract is not signed.
The GC’s standard offer includes the following:
Gas heating: Vaillant auroCOMPACT VSC S 206/4-5 190 condensing compact unit
Rated at 20 kW (wow, why?)
Includes a 190 L (50 gallons) hot water storage tank, plus 2.5 m² (27 ft²) of solar thermal collectors as a package.
Alternatively, he offers an air-to-water heat pump as a substitute for the gas heating and solar thermal system:
Thermia iTec Plus with 9 kW output, cooling function, and a 300 L (79 gallons) hot water storage tank alongside.
I would actually prefer to go with the heat pump, but:
The additional cost for the heat pump solution is a hefty €8,100. For that, we wouldn't need a gas connection...
Maybe I’m mistaken or the math doesn’t add up, but does it really pay off to choose the heat pump?
Even if you achieve a COP of 3.5 or 4, the extra cost of €8,100 minus €2,500 for the gas connection = €5,600 would only pay off very, very late.
At €0.30 per kWh electricity and 10,000 kWh annual consumption with a COP of 4, the cost would be €750. At a gas price of €0.10, the cost would be €1,000. So the difference is €250 per year, meaning the extra cost (ignoring the solar thermal system) would only amortize after 22 years.
Is that correct, or am I missing something / making an error in the calculation? Given the additional cost, I am leaning towards gas, possibly with an extra hot water storage tank.
Thanks and best regards
SoL
I could use your advice on choosing a heating system. We (2 adults, 4 children) are currently in talks with a general contractor (GC) about a house, and so far it sounds pretty good. The scope of work is acceptable. We are not aiming for a specific KfW energy standard but expect to land somewhere between 70 and 55. The heating load calculation is not finished yet since the contract is not signed.
The GC’s standard offer includes the following:
Gas heating: Vaillant auroCOMPACT VSC S 206/4-5 190 condensing compact unit
Rated at 20 kW (wow, why?)
Includes a 190 L (50 gallons) hot water storage tank, plus 2.5 m² (27 ft²) of solar thermal collectors as a package.
Alternatively, he offers an air-to-water heat pump as a substitute for the gas heating and solar thermal system:
Thermia iTec Plus with 9 kW output, cooling function, and a 300 L (79 gallons) hot water storage tank alongside.
I would actually prefer to go with the heat pump, but:
The additional cost for the heat pump solution is a hefty €8,100. For that, we wouldn't need a gas connection...
Maybe I’m mistaken or the math doesn’t add up, but does it really pay off to choose the heat pump?
Even if you achieve a COP of 3.5 or 4, the extra cost of €8,100 minus €2,500 for the gas connection = €5,600 would only pay off very, very late.
At €0.30 per kWh electricity and 10,000 kWh annual consumption with a COP of 4, the cost would be €750. At a gas price of €0.10, the cost would be €1,000. So the difference is €250 per year, meaning the extra cost (ignoring the solar thermal system) would only amortize after 22 years.
Is that correct, or am I missing something / making an error in the calculation? Given the additional cost, I am leaning towards gas, possibly with an extra hot water storage tank.
Thanks and best regards
SoL
Joedreck schrieb:
Sorry, but personally I wouldn’t rely on gas anymore. With a good design, you might use around 2500-3000 kWh of electricity for heating energy.That’s how we saw it as well and decided to go with an air source heat pump. My annual consumption last year was 2099 kWh for heating and 535 kWh for hot water supply. Based on current knowledge, I wouldn’t choose gas anymore. However, I also find the extra cost too high. Our construction company offered both options, and that without any additional charge. 😉
askforafriend14 Feb 2022 19:15Mahri23 schrieb:
That’s how we saw it as well and decided to go with an air source heat pump. My annual consumption last year was 2099 kWh for heating and 535 kWh for hot water supply. With current knowledge, I wouldn’t choose gas anymore. However, I also find the additional cost too high.
Our construction company offered both options. And that without any extra charge. 😉It’s not only about consumption, as already mentioned. The total costs are what matter.
askforafriend schrieb:
It’s not just about consumption, as already mentioned. What matters is the total cost.Which was pointed out in your previous post. No additional cost for the heat pump, plus elimination of the gas connection. So, in the end, money saved. And that resulted in low monthly expenses. Anyone can achieve that. I wouldn’t accept such a huge surcharge as the OP did. In that case, you might as well take the gas boiler, buy and install a Panasonic air-to-water heat pump yourself, and then sell the roughly 2.5 sqm (27 sq ft) solar panels plus the heating system right away. I wouldn’t even have the gas connection installed.
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