ᐅ Pellets, air source heat pump, or something else? Looking for advice.

Hello everyone,

I need help and ideas for my new heating system.

Ideally, I would like a pellet heating system combined with solar panels, but that’s not so easy. The house is located 30 meters (100 feet) away from the street, and I’ve read that pellets can only be blown a maximum of 20 meters (65 feet) from the delivery truck. Would it make sense to install an underground pellet storage tank halfway in the garden, making two distances of 15 meters (50 feet)? Would the pellets still be suctioned properly over that distance to the burner?

I don’t want to burn firewood.

There is no gas connection. A gas tank in the garden could be an option (although it would probably look quite bad).

Drilling in the ground will likely not be approved because of the protected landscape area.

Actually, I also want to move away from oil heating, so that’s not really my favorite option either.

That probably leaves only an air-to-water heat pump. I’ve heard that these are not particularly efficient.

What would you do? Do you have any experience, advice, or tips? I’m grateful for any input. Oh, by the way, I will have about 70-80 square meters (750-860 square feet) of usable floor area on the south side.

Looking forward to your replies.

Thank you in advance,

Kerryman

Hello,

Kerryman76 schrieb:
...Drilling into the ground will probably not be permitted due to the nature reserve.

In this case, surface collectors or ditch collectors could be a good alternative.
With the latter, you can also save a lot of money through self-installation.

Kerryman76 schrieb:
...
I think an air-to-water heat pump is the only option left. I’ve heard they are not very efficient.

The achievable annual performance factor of an air-source heat pump is certainly lower than that of geothermal systems.
However, with a low demand, this usually plays a minor role.
Or put differently, if a geothermal system (ground source heat pump) is fixed, then excessive insulation is usually not worthwhile.
Generally:
Energy Saving Ordinance, KfW 70, cold location => rather geothermal heat pump
Better KfW 70, mild location => rather air-source heat pump

Passive houses manage even with air-to-water heat pumps.

A reliable distinction is only possible if the actual demand (power, energy) for heating and domestic hot water has been determined beforehand. This is part of the basic assessment for a solid and precise planning and dimensioning.

Best regards.

€uro schrieb:

Generally speaking:
Energy Saving Ordinance, KfW 70, cold climate => rather SWP
Better KfW 70, mild climate => rather air source heat pump

Passive houses can even manage with GHP.

I’m glad I get to see this. :-)

Thanks in advance for the answers. I am fully aware that no concrete planning can be done at this stage. So far, I haven't heard anything about ground loop collectors. Does anyone have any experience with those?
And does anyone have experience with an underground pellet tank?

I appreciate any opinions.

Best regards, Kerryman

Kerryman76 schrieb:
.... I haven’t heard about trench collectors until now. Does anyone have experience with them?

Yes. But here too, precise and specific initial data are essential.
First of all, the demand: knowing how many kWh per year are needed for heating and hot water is crucial, as this determines the design of the source, taking into account the cooling capacity of the heat pump as well as the soil parameters.
Demand, heat pump, and source design must be aligned and compatible with each other!

Best regards.

30 meters (98 feet) is not a problem for the silo truck. You just need to specify this when ordering so that the drivers bring the appropriate length of hoses. The only thing to watch out for is that the pellet system does not shut down due to dust generation, or that it can still process the pellets properly. If this is taken into account in advance, then there is no obstacle to installing a pellet system, even at this distance from the road.