ᐅ Which Heating System Is Best for a New Single-Family Home?

Hello everyone,

we are choosing between two prefabricated house suppliers with different heating systems. I’m not very familiar with the topic, so I’m hoping for your opinions.

Basic data: living area of 150 sqm (1615 sq ft) on the ground floor and upper floor, plus 40 sqm (430 sq ft) heated basement.

Option 1: KfW 40 house with Proxon fresh air heat technology – an air-to-air heat pump.
Option 2: KfW 55 house with underfloor heating and Buderus air-to-water heat pump or Viessmann (Vitocal 242-S) air-to-water heat pump.

What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies?

Best regards & thanks

Separate mechanical ventilation with heat recovery from the heating system.

Try searching for Proxon in the forum here; it was discussed not too long ago.

I find option 2 more appealing. An air-to-air heat pump wouldn't be suitable for me.

You should consider whether you want underfloor heating or heated air. Personally, I would not want an air-to-air heat pump, regardless of the technology.

Definitely choose a hydronic heating system and design the heating surfaces for low temperatures (maximum 30°C (86°F) as a target). This is more efficient and cannot be retrofitted later. Anything else leads to dissatisfaction.

Whether an air-to-water heat pump or a ground-source heat pump, both work well if properly planned.

An air heating system can be considered in a passive house.

KfW 40 is quite close to a passive house in terms of heat loss. In that respect, it can definitely work.

Using an air-to-air heat pump for domestic hot water is problematic, as the electricity meter spins quickly during every bath. Blown-in heated air is also not very comfortable. However, it is an inexpensive solution. I would expect this option to be around 10,000€ cheaper.