Air-to-air heat pump vs air-to-water heat pump vs ring trench collector - differences

We are also currently planning our house with a ring trench collector (self-installed) and a geothermal heat pump. Fortunately, this is quite easy because there is a specific forum where many experts on the topic of ring trench collectors are active. Special planning programs (Trenchplanner) have even been developed specifically for self-builders. You just have to be willing to read up on the topic, as the number of service providers for the installation of a ring trench collector in Germany is currently very limited.

As Tego12 already said, there are basically no additional costs. Rather, the opposite is true. If you install the ring trench collector yourself, it is a quite lucrative alternative to the air-to-water heat pump thanks to BAFA. Currently, there is a €4,000 subsidy + optionally €500 load management bonus + €500 optional when installing a solar system > 7m2. That means a maximum of €5,500 subsidy for new builds. You can get the pipe including accessories for around €1,000 on the internet, plus excavation rental or costs for the civil engineer. In addition, the units are usually a bit cheaper than air-to-water heat pumps. So the installation costs are at least about zero. Usually, quite a bit of the subsidy remains (also depends on the amount of pipe and trench length).

The annual operating costs of a geothermal heat pump are 20% - 40% lower than those of an air-to-water heat pump. Of course, it always depends on the COP and seasonal performance factors actually achieved in reality. However, you definitely do not pay more than for an air-to-water heat pump. In summer, you can also actively cool very cheaply with the geothermal heat pump. With air-to-water heat pumps, this is only possible with considerable energy expenditure.

What exactly do you mean by "large plot"? The definition varies quite a bit depending on the region. If it is really sufficiently large, I would definitely consider the ring trench collector as an alternative. There are basically no disadvantages, and it is a great alternative to the often installed air-to-water heat pump.

Air-to-air heat pumps are cheaper because they do not use underfloor heating. In my opinion, however, it is also the heat pump that operates most inefficiently.

Hi, I also wanted a trench collector at first, but didn’t want to do it electrically...... the heating guy wanted about €6000 for it, in the end I decided on the drilling, a few thousand more, but I didn’t care then.

In the end, I wanted to do something that works smoothly, the company that wanted to do it hadn’t done it before,

Of course it doesn’t pay off, but does a new build pay off at all?!

Good luck!

How much area did you need for your trench collector, for which heating load? Can you plant trees and such over the slinkies?

How much area did you need for your trench collector, for which heating load? Can you plant trees and such over the slinkies?

My property is 500 sqm, the garden ~300 sqm. The collector used the area of the garden (1.5m trench width once around the edge, at the end a small loop into the middle.... on the left and right of the house I laid it straight by. Our soil is somewhere between sand and loam. We have a ~5 kW heat pump, the heating load is somewhere around 4 kW. According to the tool, our trench would be in the green zone up to 6 kW, so everything is quite relaxed.

You can plant whatever you want over the pipes... they are indestructible (in any case, as recommended in the pink forum, use the RC "resistance to crack" pipes.

Nothing can really go wrong, except if you damage the pipes.... as long as you don’t hit them with a backhoe shovel... that’s almost impossible to do.

Thanks for your explanations! We also have just under 500m2, that would fit in this case. I signed up in the Rosa forum, I’ve just been lurking there so far ... The trench planner is started, let’s see ... Thanks! mini