Hello everyone
We are currently taking the next steps toward building our own home. We have looked at several prefabricated houses and spoken with sales consultants from various providers. Based on this, we have created a top 5 list. Now I want to contact these 5 companies with our floor plan and the standards we want. This way, I hope the list will be reduced by 2-3 providers after receiving the first offers.
In my inquiry, I want to roughly outline what we have in mind. KFW55, KFW40, or KFW40+ is not yet very important—it will be one of these standards. Our floor plan does not differ much from the standard layouts offered by prefab house suppliers. Something like a simple 8x10 meter (26x33 feet) rectangular shape... To be able to compare the 5 offers reasonably, I want them all to be as similar as possible. Therefore, I would like to specify the heating system.
Now the question is, what is the right choice… I assume this is partly a matter of philosophy? The options are an air-to-water heat pump, an air-to-air heat pump, or a ground-source (geothermal) heat pump. I assume most have one of these three systems combined with solar panels on the roof.
My first thought was this: an air-to-air heat pump, since we would also have an automatic ventilation system in the house, making manual airing less or unnecessary. However, I have learned that all KFW-certified houses are so well insulated that they almost always have automatic ventilation. So this argument is no longer valid. Nevertheless, I still find the air-to-air heat pump interesting. We also want to install a wood stove in the living room. With an air-to-air heat pump, the indoor air is circulated throughout the house, so I could benefit from the wood stove’s heat everywhere, right? Perhaps even with heat recovery, which is usually included.
Another advantage of the air-to-air heat pump would be that if it ever gets too warm, we could install a fixed air conditioning unit somewhere in the house, and the whole house would benefit. The built-in cooling systems in these heat pumps usually aren’t as effective as promised.
Is it true that an air-to-air heat pump cannot provide domestic hot water? Then a second system would be needed just for hot water, which means more costs, two systems to maintain, and more space taken up. In the forum, I mostly see air-to-water heat pumps mentioned, probably combined with underfloor heating. That seems to be the most popular system. Is there a particular reason for this?
Geothermal heating combined with a heat pump seems to be the most efficient. But then I would also have underfloor heating, right? We actually didn’t want underfloor heating, but as I’m writing this, I’m starting to convince myself toward geothermal or air-to-water heat pumps…
How did you make your decision and why? Somehow, I don’t fully trust the salespeople, since they want to sell what makes more money, right? And since I’m not very technical in this area, I’m hoping to benefit from your experience.
Best regards Andreas_79
We are currently taking the next steps toward building our own home. We have looked at several prefabricated houses and spoken with sales consultants from various providers. Based on this, we have created a top 5 list. Now I want to contact these 5 companies with our floor plan and the standards we want. This way, I hope the list will be reduced by 2-3 providers after receiving the first offers.
In my inquiry, I want to roughly outline what we have in mind. KFW55, KFW40, or KFW40+ is not yet very important—it will be one of these standards. Our floor plan does not differ much from the standard layouts offered by prefab house suppliers. Something like a simple 8x10 meter (26x33 feet) rectangular shape... To be able to compare the 5 offers reasonably, I want them all to be as similar as possible. Therefore, I would like to specify the heating system.
Now the question is, what is the right choice… I assume this is partly a matter of philosophy? The options are an air-to-water heat pump, an air-to-air heat pump, or a ground-source (geothermal) heat pump. I assume most have one of these three systems combined with solar panels on the roof.
My first thought was this: an air-to-air heat pump, since we would also have an automatic ventilation system in the house, making manual airing less or unnecessary. However, I have learned that all KFW-certified houses are so well insulated that they almost always have automatic ventilation. So this argument is no longer valid. Nevertheless, I still find the air-to-air heat pump interesting. We also want to install a wood stove in the living room. With an air-to-air heat pump, the indoor air is circulated throughout the house, so I could benefit from the wood stove’s heat everywhere, right? Perhaps even with heat recovery, which is usually included.
Another advantage of the air-to-air heat pump would be that if it ever gets too warm, we could install a fixed air conditioning unit somewhere in the house, and the whole house would benefit. The built-in cooling systems in these heat pumps usually aren’t as effective as promised.
Is it true that an air-to-air heat pump cannot provide domestic hot water? Then a second system would be needed just for hot water, which means more costs, two systems to maintain, and more space taken up. In the forum, I mostly see air-to-water heat pumps mentioned, probably combined with underfloor heating. That seems to be the most popular system. Is there a particular reason for this?
Geothermal heating combined with a heat pump seems to be the most efficient. But then I would also have underfloor heating, right? We actually didn’t want underfloor heating, but as I’m writing this, I’m starting to convince myself toward geothermal or air-to-water heat pumps…
How did you make your decision and why? Somehow, I don’t fully trust the salespeople, since they want to sell what makes more money, right? And since I’m not very technical in this area, I’m hoping to benefit from your experience.
Best regards Andreas_79
Tolentino schrieb:
It doesn't matter whether it's standard for one or not. Set your standard and apply it to everyone; then it becomes comparable! Well, you can upgrade a Dacia as much as you want, based on what matters to you. Even if it ends up with the same special features as a Mercedes in the areas you choose, it’s still a Dacia.
Dacia deliberately targets the budget segment. They do not aim to compete with Mercedes.
To really make houses comparable, you would have to specify every little detail, many of which you wouldn’t even think about beforehand.
That’s why it makes more sense to compare budget options with other budget options, rather than “pimping” the budget option to make it comparable to a luxury provider.
If I were to buy a new car, I would definitely research Dacia just as thoroughly as Mercedes and BMW. When a car stands out in all key performance areas (which include not only features and technical specifications but also driving experience, reliability statistics, and long-term customer reviews), it will be chosen regardless of the brand.
Personally, I lean more towards the “a car is a tool” mindset.
With classic (or youngtimer) cars, it’s a different story; then it’s more about design and lifestyle.
By the way, I find it telling that when I looked for a construction site vehicle, very few Dacias were offered, and if they were, it was at a relatively high price compared to new price. Maybe because the owners are all very satisfied?
On the other hand, I got my Volvo for around 1,000 euros (a good deal, but almost too good to use as a construction vehicle and actually not very suitable for that purpose).
Personally, I lean more towards the “a car is a tool” mindset.
With classic (or youngtimer) cars, it’s a different story; then it’s more about design and lifestyle.
By the way, I find it telling that when I looked for a construction site vehicle, very few Dacias were offered, and if they were, it was at a relatively high price compared to new price. Maybe because the owners are all very satisfied?
On the other hand, I got my Volvo for around 1,000 euros (a good deal, but almost too good to use as a construction vehicle and actually not very suitable for that purpose).
K
k-man202126 Jul 2021 22:10Before deciding on an air-to-air heat pump, search online for “ring trench collector.” This is a cost-effective solution with a brine heat pump. This is our preferred option for our new build.
For us, it was clear that we did not want the unattractive outdoor unit of an air-to-water heat pump. Since deep drilling was not an option due to the property being located in a nature reserve, only horizontal collectors were viable. In our case, a brine-to-water heat pump is much more efficient than an air-to-water heat pump. So the decision was made.
A
Andreas_7928 Jul 2021 08:35Thank you very much, I think I was able to read some interesting opinions here. The trench collector sounds interesting.
@Acof1978, yes, such a device is not really attractive, good point, thanks.
Best regards
Andreas
@Acof1978, yes, such a device is not really attractive, good point, thanks.
Best regards
Andreas
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