ᐅ What would you do differently in your next house build?

Bookstar schrieb:
Why gas instead of an air-source heat pump? I’m curious, we are happy with ours.

I’m also curious why you prefer gas?

We are currently in the planning stage and have an air-source heat pump planned at the moment.
I would have only considered gas for one reason: a gas stove.

But now we are completely giving up on a gas connection.
Good idea?

If you just meet the minimum requirements of the energy saving ordinance, I would also use gas heating. The energy saving ordinance and the heating system need to be aligned, otherwise it will be expensive or even cold.

I would probably build according to the Energy Saving Ordinance and focus on improving insulation, preferably doing as much as possible myself.
You can also heat with an air-to-water heat pump under the Energy Saving Ordinance without going broke. It really depends on the individual situation.

If using an air-to-water heat pump, I would also skip the gas connection. Why pay for it? It also incurs a base fee even if it’s only used for the stove.
In that case, I would use induction.

I’m not so sure that better insulation makes that much of a difference. I think I read somewhere that the first 4cm (1.6 inches) contribute the most to insulation, and each additional centimeter (0.4 inches) only improves it by a small percentage. For that reason, I have my doubts whether the extra cost of additional insulation is worthwhile.

I’m also planning to follow the 2016 energy saving regulations with an air-to-water heat pump. Photovoltaic panels will be installed on the roof once reliable storage technologies become available, so that most of the electricity for the air-to-water heat pump can be self-generated — at least that’s the hope. In addition, winters are expected to be warmer rather than colder, meaning the electric heating element will likely be used less rather than more... of course, this only holds if electricity prices remain reasonably stable...

I am currently working on the insulation calculation in a post here. If I only followed the energy saving regulations, 12cm (5 inches) would be sufficient with my ground source heat pump and controlled residential ventilation. Let’s see if I go with that...

ruppsn schrieb:
I’m not so sure that much is gained with better insulation. I think I read somewhere that the first 4 cm (1.6 inches) contribute the most to insulation, and every additional centimeter mostly leads to only minor percentage improvements. For that reason, I have doubts that the extra financial effort for more insulation pays off.
I’m also planning to follow the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance with an air-to-water heat pump. Photovoltaics will be installed on the roof once sensible storage technologies are available, so that most of the electricity for the air-to-water heat pump can be self-generated — hopefully. Furthermore, winters are generally becoming milder rather than colder, meaning that the use of electric backup heating will tend to decrease rather than increase... of course, this only works if electricity prices remain relatively stable...

That’s why I prefer to do it myself. For example, insulating the top floor ceiling can be done very well by yourself, and we all know that heat naturally rises.
The same applies to insulation under the screed. It’s not rocket science, and probably every homeowner does it more carefully than contract workers paid by the hour.
Here you can install better insulation that you source yourself. Due to the common installation of underfloor heating, this is definitely not a minor factor.