ᐅ Local heating network or heat pump – advice and experiences?

We are currently deciding between district heating and an air-to-water heat pump...
Our house will be built on a slab foundation according to the KfW55 standard and has a total area of 155 sqm (1,669 sq ft), including the technical room.

The district heating (biogas) costs are as follows:

Connection fee (one-time): €7,794.50
Annual basic charge: €416.50
Energy price per kWh: €0.893 – fixed price until 12/31/2031

The lump sum price from the general contractor (GC) already includes a stratified water storage tank and fresh water station.
If we choose an air-to-water heat pump (from Buderus), the GC charges an additional €12,111.

Unfortunately, we do not yet know our heating load. A budget for photovoltaic panels will probably not be available in the first five years.

Can anyone with expertise help us decide what to do or advise where we can seek consultation?
We are quite uncertain.

Thank you very much.

Take the heat pump. District heating and local heating networks are theoretically great concepts, but in practice, too many costs add up.

This example illustrates it well: the connection fee is two-thirds of the heat pump’s price. Basic fees and maintenance costs are roughly balanced. And with nearly 90 cents per kWh for heat, the profits become significant. You can get at least 3 kWh of heat from 1 kWh of electricity; for the operating cost to be the same, electricity would have to cost around €3 or so.

Rough calculation:
Heating demand for the house is 35 kWh/sqm * 155 sqm = 5425 kWh
District heating costs you €4845
Electricity for the heat pump costs you 5425 kWh / 3 * €0.40/kWh = €723

Even if I vary the assumptions, such as replacing the heat pump after 10 years or electricity prices rising further... the difference is so large that the heat pump will always come out ahead.

WilderSueden schrieb:

And with nearly 90 cents per kWh of heat, you really make a profit

A zero seems to have disappeared...

Energy price per kWh: €0.0893 gross

I thought that was particularly outrageous. Then you just have to adjust the invoice by one decimal point.

With the new price, you will probably be better off with district heating. Still, I would consider whether you want to give a single provider a monopoly on your heating system. At the very least, I would make sure that a) a heat pump can be retrofitted in 10 years and b) you are not obligated to purchase district heating indefinitely. If that is possible, the 10-year price lock doesn’t sound so bad.

I think we will be able to move in no earlier than autumn/winter 2023... So it would probably be a maximum of 8 years at this price... If I switch to a heat pump in 2031, I will have to pay additional costs for the decommissioning (amount unknown)...

Unfortunately, I also don't know the costs for the civil engineer who has to lay the heating pipe from the building boundary...

Difficult :/

There has been a change regarding the connection fee...
Now: approximately €8500 gross

I checked the documents from the general contractor again – a Buderus Logatherm WLW196i-6 AR TP 120 with an integrated 190-liter (50-gallon) buffer tank will be installed...

Where can I get independent advice? I assume every heating installer will want to sell "their own product"...
Electricity prices are only going up, and there is no budget for photovoltaic panels initially (however, the house will be prepared for this)...

Unfortunately, I don’t have a heating load calculation yet... The house will be built with 36.5 cm (14 inch) aerated concrete blocks, and the windows are PVC/aluminum from Internorm, model KF310...