Hello everyone,
My husband and I attended a home exhibition today featuring a local timber house builder (Schleswig-Holstein) and there we learned about the Vestaxx window heating system.
Is there anyone here who has experience with the Vestaxx window heating?
At first, it sounds unusual to have the heating integrated into the windows. For the triple-glazed windows, a nanotechnology-based, invisible layer is applied to the inner surface of the innermost pane, which warms the glass up to 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) via infrared and heats the room. The warmth actually felt very comfortable, and the windows were completely cold on the outside (today’s temperature was below 10 degrees Celsius (50°F)). Allegedly, the Vestaxx window heating transfers 92% of its heat to the room, and the Technical University of Berlin has tested this Vestaxx window heating system and rated it positively. It appears to have been on the market only recently.
Overall, I find this quite interesting. It is significantly cheaper than other heating systems, allows individual control of each room, and unlike underfloor heating, it is very responsive.
Of course, this only makes sense in a low-energy house (the timber builder mainly constructs 40+ standard homes), as the system runs on electricity. In that case, the Vestaxx window heating is said to consume very little power.
This is my impression from the expo; of course, they want to sell the system.
What are your experiences with Vestaxx? Have you heard of this system before? Could it be an alternative to conventional heating? Does it have a future?
My husband and I attended a home exhibition today featuring a local timber house builder (Schleswig-Holstein) and there we learned about the Vestaxx window heating system.
Is there anyone here who has experience with the Vestaxx window heating?
At first, it sounds unusual to have the heating integrated into the windows. For the triple-glazed windows, a nanotechnology-based, invisible layer is applied to the inner surface of the innermost pane, which warms the glass up to 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) via infrared and heats the room. The warmth actually felt very comfortable, and the windows were completely cold on the outside (today’s temperature was below 10 degrees Celsius (50°F)). Allegedly, the Vestaxx window heating transfers 92% of its heat to the room, and the Technical University of Berlin has tested this Vestaxx window heating system and rated it positively. It appears to have been on the market only recently.
Overall, I find this quite interesting. It is significantly cheaper than other heating systems, allows individual control of each room, and unlike underfloor heating, it is very responsive.
Of course, this only makes sense in a low-energy house (the timber builder mainly constructs 40+ standard homes), as the system runs on electricity. In that case, the Vestaxx window heating is said to consume very little power.
This is my impression from the expo; of course, they want to sell the system.
What are your experiences with Vestaxx? Have you heard of this system before? Could it be an alternative to conventional heating? Does it have a future?
C
Christian 658 Oct 2022 00:37So, if the heat pump consumed no electricity at all and I have to pay about €2,000 per year for electricity with an electric heating system at 40 cents per kWh, and the price difference is €23,000 + €16,000 interest = €39,000, could I pay for electricity for 19.5 years until the heat pump has caught up with me?? If it cost nothing to operate?
C
Christian 658 Oct 2022 00:51And if the heat pump consumes only 900 kWh with an annual performance factor of 5, at 40 cents, that would be €7,200 more over 20 years, which means the heat pump would only break even in almost 23.5 years. But during the 3.5 years, I also paid €2,600 in interest on the additional €23,000 cost? So, I would only break even after 25 years?
Well, I’m almost 60, a heavy smoker, and since I have no heirs, I’d probably be better off just using portable heaters for the next build rather than installing another heat pump.
Great.
Well, I’m almost 60, a heavy smoker, and since I have no heirs, I’d probably be better off just using portable heaters for the next build rather than installing another heat pump.
Great.
Christian 65 schrieb:
Well, I’m almost 60, a heavy smoker, and since I have no heirs, I’d probably be better off using space heaters next time instead of installing a heat pump again. That’s true! Good point. You could also just turn on the oven in the living area and keep it running at 30°C (86°F). In the bathroom, a hairdryer will do. Finally, a sensible conclusion!
Or, we build a house that is sustainable and affordable to operate for other people’s children. A house where the annual performance factor smoothes out energy price fluctuations by a factor of 4–5. Where you also secure reliable, low-cost operation for the next 50 years (of course, not with the first heating system). Plus, you have comfortably warm feet and a floor where children can play without needing carpets or rugs everywhere. A place that is simply cozy and even cools in summer using the cooling function of the heat pump.
If you want to argue about interest rates, here are two screenshots from a construction financing provider comparing a loan that is $20,000 higher.
Affordable heating system:
Heat pump:
As you can see, the monthly payments are roughly the same when including operating costs. I stick to my view that I would not recommend this system to anyone who isn’t at least building a passive house. Regular single-family house construction should be much more comfortable and reliable in the long term with a heat pump and underfloor heating.
One more note on sustainability. It’s telling how you completely ignored this aspect, @Christian 65, and instead wrote another “wall of text” about everything else you could buy. Although, of course, that might also be due to individual personal circumstances.
C
chand19868 Oct 2022 07:52I’ll throw in a slightly off-topic comment that, as of today, heat pumps are generally operated far from optimal. Regulations(?), poorly trained heating technicians, ERR instead of a proper hydraulic balancing, resulting in lower efficiency combined with increased wear and tear.
Addressing this and unlocking potential seems to me, at first glance, somehow more important than comparing electric-based heating systems against each other.
Addressing this and unlocking potential seems to me, at first glance, somehow more important than comparing electric-based heating systems against each other.
R
RotorMotor8 Oct 2022 08:02Christian 65 schrieb:
So, your calculation assumes that the heat pump with underfloor heating costs €23,000 (about $25,600) more than the panel heating? You have to consider that @OWLer probably calculated with the higher end of €50-80 (about $57-91) for underfloor heating, using €80 (about $91). And for the air-to-water heat pump, I strongly assume he used the builder’s exaggerated estimate for the government subsidy (BAFA) and then added another 30%.
Christian 65 schrieb:
I just did the math in my head:
So, in 20 years, I would save another roughly €16,000 (about $17,700) in interest?
Or am I making a mistake? I assumed 3.5% interest. The answer here is much simpler. Yes, you are miscalculating.
Interest would be €9,013 (about $9,960), but it can be completely ignored because the increase in electricity costs isn’t taken into account either.
If that also runs at around 3-4% per year, it balances out.
RotorMotor schrieb:
It must be taken into account that @OWLer
Here the answer is even simpler. Yes, you miscalculated.
Interest would be €9,013 (about $9,900), but it can be completely ignored since the increase does not apply to electricity either.Correct, otherwise the window heating would have even less chance...2010 - 2021 (pre-Ukraine): 36% increase
2010 - 2022: 62% increase
So, if we calculate with a 20-year payback period, we can reasonably expect electricity prices to double...
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