ᐅ Omitting individual room control? Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery + gas heating, new build

Hello,

I am currently planning the electrical and technical installations for our new build.

We are constructing with 42.5 Poroton bricks without insulation and have planned a gas heating system as well as a central controlled ventilation system with heat recovery. Almost the entire house will be tiled, except for the children’s room and bedroom.

Now the question about the usefulness of 10 room thermostats, which would cost me €1500 gross without any self-labor, including valves and wiring, and which I find not very attractive on the wall. Additionally, there is continuous power consumption per radiator.

What I have read so far is that a hydraulic balancing is important, a well-adjusted heating curve depending on the outside temperature, and a system with a low flow temperature; then the individual rooms can be perfectly adjusted through the flow in the radiators. Due to door gaps and the ventilation system, it will anyway be difficult to maintain significant temperature differences.

I do not see what comfort the electronic radiator regulators (ERR) would bring, since the system is slow to respond anyway and would only react hours later when there is solar heat gain.

With modern gas boilers, there should also be the option to control the flow temperature externally via smartphone, for example from vacation, and thus lower or raise the whole house temperature by 1-2 degrees before arriving home.

I know that ERR is initially mandatory and you have to apply for an exemption. Do you see a chance that this will be approved? Is the architect together with the heating installer the right contact for the application? I think our installer always installs the room thermostats without considering whether they make sense.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation or has any tips or advice?

Please refrain from comments like “new build costs €500,000 but no €1500 for room thermostats,” this is about the principle of not buying something unnecessary and unattractive.

I also don't have any ERR, it works perfectly fine.
Regarding exemptions: no plaintiff, no judge...

Basically, you can address this through installation spacing and hydraulic balancing. With your exterior walls and highly insulated windows, you actually have inertia in the control loop, so you can’t just quickly turn the heating down when the sun is shining.

I once applied for an exemption in Baden-Württemberg. Even with an assessment from a TÜV expert, the exemption was not approved. I then withdrew my application to avoid paying any fees. No possibility of exemption was offered to me.

However, there are cases where the exemption was granted without issues. It seems to depend on the local building authority and the federal state.

OK, thanks already. Everywhere I read that most people who have applied for and received approval are heating with heat pumps. What is better about them compared to a gas heating system? Or are they already scrutinized by the authorities because of renewable energy regulations... etc.

Where there is no complainant / no judge, the heating installer or electrician wouldn’t have to file a report... ?!

Maybe if they want to play a trick on you?
Well, I handled the heating and electrical work myself. The heating engineer and electrician I had with me didn’t seem to care about that. The electrician only asked why the ERR was missing; I said the heating regulates itself. He just replied, "Well, there’s all sorts of things," and that was the end of the topic.