Hello dear community,
we have finally found a plot of land and are now in the planning phase for our house. We are still at the very beginning, so nothing has been signed yet. We are thinking of a size of about 160 sqm (1722 sq ft), probably a prefabricated house built to KfW 40+ or KfW 55 standard with a solar power system.
The plot is located in a new housing development (eco-settlement), a pilot project by the city of Kassel. Fossil fuels are not allowed for heating in this development, so gas and oil are ruled out, and installing a fireplace is also prohibited. For the heating system, we are considering an air-to-water heat pump or connecting to the local district heating network operated by the municipal utility of Kassel. An air-to-air heat pump is more or less off the table, as we have read many negative reports about it here on the forum.
We find it really difficult to make a decision, especially since we have no experience at all. The municipal utility provided an example calculation that seems quite high to us; without any prior experience, it’s hard to estimate or compare.
District heating example:
Single-family house KfW 55, approx. 150 sqm (1615 sq ft)
Heat consumption: 7000 kWh
Basic fee (approx.): €1700 per year
Usage fee (approx.): €1100 per year
From what I have researched here on the forum, costs for an air-to-air heat pump seem to be noticeably lower, although these figures vary considerably. The advantage of district heating, of course, is that the entire heating system is eliminated, leaving only a small unit in the utility room, so initial costs are very low.
What do you think about the offer from the municipal utility? The fact that you are very much tied to the monopoly and cannot just switch providers if prices go up worries us the most.
Thank you in advance for your answers.
we have finally found a plot of land and are now in the planning phase for our house. We are still at the very beginning, so nothing has been signed yet. We are thinking of a size of about 160 sqm (1722 sq ft), probably a prefabricated house built to KfW 40+ or KfW 55 standard with a solar power system.
The plot is located in a new housing development (eco-settlement), a pilot project by the city of Kassel. Fossil fuels are not allowed for heating in this development, so gas and oil are ruled out, and installing a fireplace is also prohibited. For the heating system, we are considering an air-to-water heat pump or connecting to the local district heating network operated by the municipal utility of Kassel. An air-to-air heat pump is more or less off the table, as we have read many negative reports about it here on the forum.
We find it really difficult to make a decision, especially since we have no experience at all. The municipal utility provided an example calculation that seems quite high to us; without any prior experience, it’s hard to estimate or compare.
District heating example:
Single-family house KfW 55, approx. 150 sqm (1615 sq ft)
Heat consumption: 7000 kWh
Basic fee (approx.): €1700 per year
Usage fee (approx.): €1100 per year
From what I have researched here on the forum, costs for an air-to-air heat pump seem to be noticeably lower, although these figures vary considerably. The advantage of district heating, of course, is that the entire heating system is eliminated, leaving only a small unit in the utility room, so initial costs are very low.
What do you think about the offer from the municipal utility? The fact that you are very much tied to the monopoly and cannot just switch providers if prices go up worries us the most.
Thank you in advance for your answers.
Our local heating system is arranged as follows:
One-time connection and installation costs: 4,000 €.
Basic fee based on heating load: for us, it’s 4.65 x 140 € (651.00 €) per year.
Consumption is calculated using a factor tied to the price of light heating oil, which is about 6 cents per kWh (I believe). We use around 9,000 kWh and pay approximately 540.00 € for that.
This means our total costs are about 1,200.00 € per year, and we don’t have to worry about anything. The municipal utility company or their subcontractor comes once a year for maintenance, and if the transfer station ever breaks down, it simply gets replaced. The space required is very small. The device is smaller than a refrigerator.
A small drawback during the current cold temperatures is that the water takes a little longer to warm up around 5 a.m. when I get up.
One-time connection and installation costs: 4,000 €.
Basic fee based on heating load: for us, it’s 4.65 x 140 € (651.00 €) per year.
Consumption is calculated using a factor tied to the price of light heating oil, which is about 6 cents per kWh (I believe). We use around 9,000 kWh and pay approximately 540.00 € for that.
This means our total costs are about 1,200.00 € per year, and we don’t have to worry about anything. The municipal utility company or their subcontractor comes once a year for maintenance, and if the transfer station ever breaks down, it simply gets replaced. The space required is very small. The device is smaller than a refrigerator.
A small drawback during the current cold temperatures is that the water takes a little longer to warm up around 5 a.m. when I get up.
T
TitusPullo23 Jan 2020 21:28boxandroof schrieb:
The BAFA is another organization that provides additional support for heating technology, independent of the KfW and the KfW standards. The conditions were changed in 2020; there is a thread about it somewhere here.Good to know, thank you.
@RFR
Thanks for the information, that definitely makes it more worthwhile, unfortunately, we are well above the limit.
N
nordanney23 Jan 2020 22:12RFR schrieb:
That means total costs of around 1,200.00 € per yearExpensive! So 500–700 € more than with a well-adjusted heat pump and complete dependence on a monopoly provider.B
boxandroof23 Jan 2020 22:28nordanney schrieb:
Expensive! So, 500-700€ (about 590-830 USD) more than with a well-adjusted heat pump and complete dependence on a monopoly provider. That’s not a bad financial deal, considering that the initial cost of a heat pump can vary widely—you almost entirely avoid that expense here. It only gets cheaper if you do the work yourself or receive good subsidies. However, I would always ensure that the conditions for installing a heat pump are met so that you have the option to switch later.
Compared to the 3,000€ (around 3,530 USD) per year being discussed here, this is a bargain. It’s good to have the choice.
T
TitusPullo23 Jan 2020 22:32With the funding opportunities that have come out this year (no one has actually pointed out BAFA to us yet), the question hardly arises anymore, does it? The system is practically free of charge.
nordanney schrieb:
Expensive! So, 500-700€ more than a well-adjusted heat pump and total dependence on a monopoly provider.But you shouldn’t forget that a heat pump costs at least 10,000€ (about $10,000) for purchase and installation.
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