ᐅ Type of heating system for a newly built three-family house with approximately 350 m² of living space

We are currently in the early stages and plan to build our three-family house soon. At the moment, we are in final discussions with the city planning department / planning authority.

Nevertheless, I am gathering information about other topics related to house construction – excavation, shell construction, roofing, and technical installations. Right now, the focus is on heating systems. The BAFA currently offers subsidies of up to 35% for installed heating systems.

Therefore, my question is: which heating system would you recommend? The price-performance ratio is very important to us. Initial costs should not exceed 30,000–50,000 euros (around 32,000–54,000 USD). Whether it’s an air-to-water heat pump, geothermal heat, or biomass boiler.

We are building with a basement, so space is not a limiting factor! We already plan to install solar panels.

I am not an expert, and there are countless opinions on the internet and YouTube. So, I would like to hear your views — from fellow builders, homeowners, and installers.

Best regards and thanks

For rent? Gas-fired unit heating

Yes, gas or combined heat and power (CHP),

teaching three families to use and operate a heat pump efficiently is a challenging task. Added to this is the size of the house.

An experience-based example for a multi-family house with 4 residential units and 475m² (5118 ft²) of living space:
Ground source heat pump + photovoltaic system -> 1900 to 2000 EUR/year heating costs including hot water preparation (cost indication without considering the photovoltaic self-consumption). Standard household electricity, no special tariff.

A gas central heating system has a significantly lower investment cost in comparison and is a very proven solution.

A combined heat and power plant (CHP) seems economically interesting only for larger properties (possible high ongoing maintenance costs due to moving parts—engine should be considered in the evaluation).

Ultimately, the choice of a system is a very personal decision influenced by many factors.

For rental properties, for example, keep in mind that some tenants, due to lack of experience, might initially interpret low flow temperatures as a faulty heating system because "the floor doesn’t get warm."

However, the heating cost statement after the first year usually makes up for this.

nordanney schrieb:

For rental? Gas-fired floor heating

Exactly like that and no other way! No hassle with billing, no problems with high consumption, and everyone is their own master.