ᐅ Which Heating System Is Best for a New Build (Prefab House)
Created on: 8 Nov 2016 13:05
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BFResident
Hello dear community,
my wife and I want to take the plunge into the adventure of building a house. We have decided on the prefabricated house option. The house should have between 130 and 150 square meters (1400 and 1600 square feet) of living space. We are at the very beginning; nothing is finalized yet, no building plot, etc. The entire new development area in the town will only be developed next year.
However, we want to benefit from others’ experiences as early as possible, hence this post.
Among many other things to consider, I think the heating system is one of the most important points. Almost all prefab house providers advertise the KfW40 or 40+ standard house with an air-to-air heat pump and controlled ventilation with heat recovery (fresh air heat technology). But I am also considering the KfW55 option with a pellet heating system combined with a hydronic wood-burning stove in the living room and a buffer tank. I still have no idea about the costs.
At the moment, our main question is: Is an air-to-air heat pump sufficient for the Black Forest climate at all? How about efficiency? Do you have experience with controlled ventilation and indoor climate? I think there is a wealth of experience here.
I have already read some posts on similar questions but please don’t be offended if I am looking for individual answers.
Thanks in advance for reading and responding! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
my wife and I want to take the plunge into the adventure of building a house. We have decided on the prefabricated house option. The house should have between 130 and 150 square meters (1400 and 1600 square feet) of living space. We are at the very beginning; nothing is finalized yet, no building plot, etc. The entire new development area in the town will only be developed next year.
However, we want to benefit from others’ experiences as early as possible, hence this post.
Among many other things to consider, I think the heating system is one of the most important points. Almost all prefab house providers advertise the KfW40 or 40+ standard house with an air-to-air heat pump and controlled ventilation with heat recovery (fresh air heat technology). But I am also considering the KfW55 option with a pellet heating system combined with a hydronic wood-burning stove in the living room and a buffer tank. I still have no idea about the costs.
At the moment, our main question is: Is an air-to-air heat pump sufficient for the Black Forest climate at all? How about efficiency? Do you have experience with controlled ventilation and indoor climate? I think there is a wealth of experience here.
I have already read some posts on similar questions but please don’t be offended if I am looking for individual answers.
Thanks in advance for reading and responding! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
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BFResident19 Nov 2016 16:24Hey everyone,
First of all, thanks for the replies and sorry for getting back to you so late. It’s been quite busy recently.
You get bombarded with more or less helpful advice from all directions... At some point, you just don’t know what to believe anymore...
The other day, someone told me they can’t imagine that no mold will develop in the ducts of the mechanical ventilation system over the long term. Has anyone heard anything about this or had any personal experience?
First of all, thanks for the replies and sorry for getting back to you so late. It’s been quite busy recently.
You get bombarded with more or less helpful advice from all directions... At some point, you just don’t know what to believe anymore...
The other day, someone told me they can’t imagine that no mold will develop in the ducts of the mechanical ventilation system over the long term. Has anyone heard anything about this or had any personal experience?
Since the supply air is separated from the exhaust air and the supply air passes through a filter, this is rather unlikely. The potentially complicated cleaning in case of issues led our planner and ultimately my wife to choose a decentralized system.
As the owner of a decentralized system, next time I would rather—though not with complete conviction—install a central system. I would definitely choose a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery again.
As the owner of a decentralized system, next time I would rather—though not with complete conviction—install a central system. I would definitely choose a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery again.
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Bauexperte19 Nov 2016 20:06BeHaElJa schrieb:
Next time I would probably go for a central system, even if I'm not completely convinced. Why?
Regards, Bauexperte
Because the decentralized system is too loud for me at level 2, as I am a very sensitive person.
Besides that, there are minor issues that don’t bother me as much, like occasional faint smoke odor when the wind is in the wrong direction and the neighbors are mixing wet spruce with newspaper (which also happens with central systems), noises during strong winds (though I’m sometimes not sure if the outlets are really the source), and the cleaning of 10 filters.
Although I’m sure I would find something to complain about if I had a central system.
Besides that, there are minor issues that don’t bother me as much, like occasional faint smoke odor when the wind is in the wrong direction and the neighbors are mixing wet spruce with newspaper (which also happens with central systems), noises during strong winds (though I’m sometimes not sure if the outlets are really the source), and the cleaning of 10 filters.
Although I’m sure I would find something to complain about if I had a central system.
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Bauexperte20 Nov 2016 08:49Thank you!
Best regards, Bauexperte
Best regards, Bauexperte
I have not yet seen a decentralized system at friends’ places that truly convinced me, but I have seen many centralized systems. I find the appearance and noise level to be quite bothersome. Centralized systems can simply do this better, and noise level is crucial for me. However, my sample size is not very large. Still, there must be a reason why nearly everyone in the pink forum is in favor of centralized systems, especially for new builds.
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