Air/Water Heat Pump Active Cooling

Hello everyone,
I wanted to ask for your opinion. In our new building, an air/water heat pump from Vaillant or equivalent will be installed.
Since an air conditioning system is currently not an option for us, we are considering cooling a bit with the heat pump. No comparison to air conditioning, of course, but at least something, right?

I would like the heat pump to operate reversibly and expel the warm air. At the same time, my better half doesn’t want a “ice-cold” underfloor heating. Apart from that, the warm air is naturally also “upstairs.”
Can you still recommend something, or do you completely advise against it?
Thanks for your help.

How a air-to-water heat pump should be able to expel air outside, I do not understand.

Cooling capacity is marginal and the dew point should be monitored. Cold feet also occur. If you want to cool, install an air conditioning unit. Or at least prepare it in areas where it makes sense (e.g. bedrooms). The perception of cooling also arises from the dehumidification of the air. This does not happen with the reversible pump either. If you don't mind the money, install it, but it is miles away from air conditioning. That is just marketing nonsense. If you can buffer 1-2 degrees at the beginning of a heat period in summer, you are already doing well. And it certainly does not expel warm air. Instead, it extracts energy from the floor.

We have discussed the topic many times and Rick has already summarized it very well. Marketing and wishful thinking are very important when it comes to "cooling via the floor."

Since an air conditioner is currently not an option for us, we are considering cooling with the heat pump. Obviously, it’s no comparison to air conditioning, but at least something, right?

As Rick already mentioned, 1-2 degrees. But with 28°C it’s then 26°C, which isn’t really noticeable.

But every house is different and some owners claim it works very well. Exceptions, as we know, prove the rule. With consistent shading and, for example, forest around, a house can be kept at more or less tolerable temperatures this way, but not primarily through cooling, rather by preventing the house from getting warm inside in the first place.

But for example, in a typical new residential area, there’s hardly any chance to achieve anything with this. I have tried it myself and it was just the well-known drop in the bucket. Once the heat is inside, it stays, and due to the high humidity it becomes uncomfortable. This humidity cannot be removed with the reversible heat pump that cools the floor.

I would like the heat pump to run reversibly and to expel the warm air.

That is physically not possible. Because you are getting an air-water heat pump. This cools or heats the screed. The warm air remains where it is. What you want is an air/air heat pump, which in layman’s terms is called an air conditioner. But this is uneconomical for heating (except again in suitable houses).

At the same time, my better half does not want a “freezing cold” underfloor heating.

But she will get that if you try to cool this way. That should be clear.

Can you still recommend something, or would you advise completely against it?

No, if you have a few hundred euros to spare, you can do it. Floor cooling, like what you know from cars, does not come close to replacing it and is rather a homeopathic measure.

As Rick already said, perhaps have the air conditioning prepared and then you can install it later.

All that is needed are two copper pipes (e.g., 1/4" and 3/8") and 5x1.5 NYM cables from inside to outside, plus a condensate drain where the indoor unit is to be installed.

The opinion in the threads here is, however, that it does bring something and in summer helps to keep a house cool – it costs virtually nothing to operate and you can keep your house cool throughout the entire summer... of course only including shading.

The effects are of course not like an air conditioner, but they are definitely present. I would not want to do without it anymore, because I am against air conditioning if there is another way... (for ecological reasons, I am not a fan of unnecessary resource waste). And in new buildings it works differently if you plan proper shading.

Do you live on the Zugspitze or in a bunker? Shadowed all day? The proponents are usually the ones selling the technology or customers who bought it. Nobody wants to admit anything... I only know the threads where the statement is always that it doesn't help much. Also from users like . 23 degrees and humid air are more unpleasant than 27 degrees and dry air. Funny, in your post from February 18, 2020, you wrote that it makes a difference of 1-2 degrees. I know some big shots from the heating and air conditioning industry. We followed the topic for a while as well (including integrating ceilings and walls). Your heat pump also consumes electricity when running reversibly. Normally, it would be off at that time or only needed at most for hot water. In terms of cooling performance, it is less economical than an air conditioner. So much for your ecology. Anyone building new, especially a single-family house, shouldn't venture too far with ecology anyway. It's more like “greenwashing.” The most CO2 is saved by having no children at all. It also solves problems like overpopulation, hunger, etc... *evil sarcasm*