Heating offer comparison - Please share your experiences

Why are the maintenance costs of a heat pump higher?

Why are the maintenance costs for a heat pump higher?

Of course, I am not familiar with the pricing of gas-water installers, but in fact, it is unfortunately the case. I just spoke with a distant neighbor a few weeks ago who spends around 250 euros per year and is very upset about these unexpected costs.

Firstly, many manufacturers apparently require annual maintenance, and for some systems, the gas must also be refilled from time to time. It seems that companies need special training or certifications for handling these gases. But it could also simply be a way to extract money.

I recommend simply getting a binding offer from a company for a maintenance contract that includes not only labor but also all spare parts/gases. That way, you can clearly see what costs to expect for the exact planned device.

As I said, experience shows that the costs are significantly higher than for the harmless biennial maintenance of gas condensing boilers. Furthermore, modern gas condensing boilers only require a chimney sweep service every three years.

In general, the maintenance costs for heat pumps are significantly higher than for gas condensing boilers. Therefore, in the long term, you unfortunately save less on regular costs with heat pumps than is often suggested.

I can't judge that, it depends on the next few years...
But I can generate electricity myself, not gas, and who knows what else will come at us with the CO2 tax!

But I can generate electricity myself

in winter, when the heating should be running hard, rather not. At least not on the roof....

Completely neutral and system-independent, one should always consider the following costs:

1 Purchase price and service life of the device (cost per year)
2 Consumption costs of the energy carrier
3 Maintenance and repair costs

With gas condensing units, you do very well in points 1 and 3, while point 2 is slightly higher.

For heat pumps, 1 is usually significantly higher, 2 only slightly cheaper, and 3 usually noticeably higher.

In the overall balance, one must calculate this precisely and take the expected service life of the device as the period. This is about long-term investments.

I expect gas costs of currently about 60 euros per month for the construction of a very well-insulated, modern house. These costs can of course increase due to future price hikes. Over 10 years, that amounts to 7,200 euros.

Heat pumps using purchased electricity are definitely not economical, as the annual performance factor roughly corresponds to the price ratio of electricity/gas. They may cause slightly lower energy carrier costs, but you will definitely not get below 40 euros/month, rather more.

Heat pumps with self-generated photovoltaic electricity are cheaper, but one must not forget that self-produced electricity must also be taxed with income tax and VAT, and generally there are provision costs of about 10 cents/kWh. This dream of "free own electricity" is an illusion. One should at least get exact tax advice beforehand, as this also depends on one's own income situation. Even if one manages to get down to about 30 euros/month with own electricity (and winters usually require purchased electricity), that only saves 3,600 euros in 10 years.

Minus additional maintenance costs, not much remains. In my opinion, the increased investment costs never pay off. How long heat pumps last without significant maintenance costs is not yet established for all new models. Compressors are definitely not made to last forever.

Of course, I am not familiar with the pricing of gas-water installers, but unfortunately, that is the reality. Just a few weeks ago, I spoke with a distant neighbor who spends around 250 euros per year and is very annoyed by these unexpected costs.

Firstly, many manufacturers apparently require annual maintenance; for some systems, the gas must also be refilled from time to time. It seems that companies need additional training or certifications for these gases. However, it could also just be a profit-driven practice.

I recommend simply getting a binding offer from a company for a maintenance contract that includes not only labor but also all spare parts/gases. That way, you can clearly see what costs might arise for the exact planned device.

As I said, experience shows that the costs are significantly higher than for the benign biennial maintenance of gas condensing boilers. Furthermore, modern gas condensing boilers only require a chimney sweep service every three years.

Well, I have a maintenance contract for my gas condensing system, including parts and emergency service. I tell you, it's expensive. Also, an annual maintenance is necessary for extended warranty retention. I personally don't believe it is more expensive with a heat pump.