ᐅ New Construction – Heating System (Solar + Fireplace and What Else?)

Hello everyone,

We are currently planning a semi-detached house and need to decide which heating system to install.

The house faces south and will have a pitched roof. The living area will be approximately 140m² (1507 square feet).

Since we have a forest nearby and I would like to have a see-through fireplace, we are unsure about how to handle the heating system.

Currently, we are considering a Tecalor THZ 403 SOL because we also want a ventilation system. We plan to use this for both solar hot water and heating. We would not connect the fireplace to the water system, which I personally find a bit of a shame.

During transitional seasons (when it’s only about 15°C (59°F) outside), I don’t really want to have to light the fireplace either.

So here is my question: Is there a cost-effective way to integrate both the ventilation system and the fireplace to achieve the best overall solution?

Thank you very much for your help.

Mark

Hello Mark,

evolution schrieb:
Currently considering a Tecalor THZ 403 SOL, since we also want a ventilation system. And to use it for domestic hot water (solar) and heating. We would then not connect the fireplace to the water, which I personally find a pity.

I would recommend skipping the connection of the fireplace to the underfloor heating anyway—it’s expensive and not really practical.

The more important question is: have you planned for a basement? If yes, you generally have to forget about placing the THZ in the basement, unless the basement extends outward about one meter (3 feet). The THZ requires two exterior walls, one each for supply and exhaust air, with a minimum distance of 2.0 m (6.5 feet) between the supply and exhaust vents. If you plan a ground-level utility room, the same rules apply, and it should be at least 10 sqm (108 sq ft), since the unit itself also needs to stand about 80 cm (31 inches) away from the wall!

If you are interested in a combined system—the Tecalor model has an air-to-water heat pump plus controlled ventilation with heat recovery integrated—then why would you want to spend an additional significant amount on the (then redundant) solar thermal system? Who recommended this setup to you?

Kind regards

Hello building expert,

The developer recommended this system to us.
We are going to build a basement. Is it possible for the system to draw air through, for example, a pipe in the garden (similar to what I read about in a Plugit)?

Would you then completely omit solar panels? Also considering the future, when electricity prices might rise and solar could then heat the hot water almost for free?

Thanks for the quick response.

Mark

Hello Mark,

evolution schrieb:
the developer recommended this system to us.
We are building a basement. Can the unit, for example, draw air through a pipe in the garden (similar to what I read about in a Plugit)?

I can’t answer that question because I haven’t encountered that situation yet. The technical service at Tecalor should be able to give you detailed information on this—I would recommend contacting them directly; with all due respect to your developer, I always prefer short and direct answers without any communication loss. 😉

evolution schrieb:
so you would completely skip solar? Also looking ahead to the future, as electricity prices rise and solar-heated hot water would then be "almost" free?

Provided the system was properly sized—yes. What good is solar on the roof if the air-to-water heat pump already covers hot water heating—and on summer days (otherwise, the solar system doesn’t really work either) it doesn’t even cost you extra money besides the operation of the system, which all heating systems share? People often forget that no heating system runs without electricity. 😉

Kind regards

Bauexperte schrieb:
....Who recommended this system to you?

Good question, of course the seller 😉 There probably won’t be any precise sizing and design here.

Best regards