ᐅ New Single-Family Home Built to KfW55 Standard – Which Heating System to Choose?
Created on: 19 Jul 2020 12:19
T
Traube348
Hello everyone,
I have read many articles and would now like to benefit from the extensive knowledge of the members here.
A brief overview of my building project:
- Single-family house with approximately 160sqm (1,722 sq ft) of living space
- No basement, 2 full floors with an unfinished attic
- Relatively large window areas and an open-plan design with a staircase in the living area
- Underfloor heating throughout the house with tile flooring
- KfW 55 standard with timber frame construction
- A wood-burning stove will be installed
Unfortunately, I have little experience in this area and rely on recommendations from others regarding heating.
On the ground floor, we have a utility room of 8sqm (86 sq ft) where we would like to accommodate all the technical equipment.
The builder recommends installing a central ventilation system, which we would like to do.
Now to my question:
There is a gas connection in our building area, and a friend told me we should definitely heat with a gas boiler. To meet the KfW standard, according to the energy consultant, we still need to install 9sqm (97 sq ft) of solar panels on the roof.
A heating engineer friend advises: choose an air-to-water heat pump – split system Weishaupt LS 8-BREK – so you can avoid the solar requirement.
I have requested quotes for both options from different heating engineers, and they come out roughly the same in price.
Since I have heard many statements opposing air-to-water heat pumps, I tend to prefer gas.
However, the main challenge is the limited space in the utility room. In addition to the heating system, the two-flue fireplace, and the ventilation system, the electrical control cabinet as well as the washing machine and dryer are also planned to be located there.
Is there anyone who has faced a similar space issue?
What would you recommend?
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
I have read many articles and would now like to benefit from the extensive knowledge of the members here.
A brief overview of my building project:
- Single-family house with approximately 160sqm (1,722 sq ft) of living space
- No basement, 2 full floors with an unfinished attic
- Relatively large window areas and an open-plan design with a staircase in the living area
- Underfloor heating throughout the house with tile flooring
- KfW 55 standard with timber frame construction
- A wood-burning stove will be installed
Unfortunately, I have little experience in this area and rely on recommendations from others regarding heating.
On the ground floor, we have a utility room of 8sqm (86 sq ft) where we would like to accommodate all the technical equipment.
The builder recommends installing a central ventilation system, which we would like to do.
Now to my question:
There is a gas connection in our building area, and a friend told me we should definitely heat with a gas boiler. To meet the KfW standard, according to the energy consultant, we still need to install 9sqm (97 sq ft) of solar panels on the roof.
A heating engineer friend advises: choose an air-to-water heat pump – split system Weishaupt LS 8-BREK – so you can avoid the solar requirement.
I have requested quotes for both options from different heating engineers, and they come out roughly the same in price.
Since I have heard many statements opposing air-to-water heat pumps, I tend to prefer gas.
However, the main challenge is the limited space in the utility room. In addition to the heating system, the two-flue fireplace, and the ventilation system, the electrical control cabinet as well as the washing machine and dryer are also planned to be located there.
Is there anyone who has faced a similar space issue?
What would you recommend?
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
H
hampshire20 Jul 2020 05:26The layout of the utility room suggests that the designer did not consider your question but assumed a gas connection. I would prefer an air-to-water heat pump combined with photovoltaic panels.
As a user of an air-to-water heat pump, I can only recommend choosing one if you are willing to invest time in optimizing it. Of course, it will also run with the basic settings, but then your wallet might take a hit.
If you go for an air-to-water heat pump, choose a modulating one with a heat load calculation—not just “because we have always done it this way,” but calculated according to your specific needs. Make sure that the pipe spacing in the bathroom is about 5cm (2 inches) and that the heating surface is as large as possible—possibly including the walls.
This is always the coldest room and requires the most heating capacity.
Alternatively, a solar thermal heat pump with a cooling function is an option but costs a bit more.
What I definitely wouldn’t want to miss anymore is the controlled mechanical ventilation system. With 10 rooms in the house, I don’t want to ventilate manually.
If you go for an air-to-water heat pump, choose a modulating one with a heat load calculation—not just “because we have always done it this way,” but calculated according to your specific needs. Make sure that the pipe spacing in the bathroom is about 5cm (2 inches) and that the heating surface is as large as possible—possibly including the walls.
This is always the coldest room and requires the most heating capacity.
Alternatively, a solar thermal heat pump with a cooling function is an option but costs a bit more.
What I definitely wouldn’t want to miss anymore is the controlled mechanical ventilation system. With 10 rooms in the house, I don’t want to ventilate manually.
P
Pinkiponk20 Jul 2020 10:31Traube348 schrieb:
... I would prefer gas.We will also install a gas condensing boiler in our new build (plus the required solar thermal system).Traube348 schrieb:
The main problem we have, however, is the limited space in the utility room.I did a quick online search, as I don’t have practical experience yet: a wall-mounted gas condensing boiler requires 0.5sqm (5.4 sq ft) of space (space underneath the unit). A floor-standing gas condensing boiler needs 2.0sqm (21.5 sq ft) of space. How will you insulate the attic? Apparently, gas condensing boilers can also be installed there.
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Pinkiponk20 Jul 2020 10:34Traube348 schrieb:
-A wood-burning stove is going to be installedWe will soon be looking at gas stoves. Do you mean a wood-burning stove by “Kaminofen”? That is what we have at the moment, and we might switch to gas, but we are not entirely sure yet.Similar topics