Heating with ice, ice heating for single-family house, experience reports

Hello everyone,

I am interested in the ice heating as a source for my heat exchanger for a planned single-family house with about 200 m² of living space. I find many videos and texts that explain the principle, but unfortunately no real experience reports.

I am not sure about the acquisition costs, installation costs (excavation work, delivery, crane, etc.) and maintenance costs whether the ice storage source is worthwhile compared to the geothermal source (deep drilling).

As a layperson, I see the following advantages compared to using geothermal energy with deep drilling:

[*]No permit required for geothermal use
[*]No soil survey required
[*]No expensive deep drilling necessary

But also disadvantages:

[*]Additional costs due to solar system on the roof for "heating up" the ice storage
[*]Required space on the building plot - possibly limited construction

Has anyone built with this heating system and can share their experiences?

And of course also generally asked - what do you think of this heating system?

Many thanks and best regards,
Stefan

As far as you can read online, the ice heating system is significantly more expensive than a conventional heat pump (whether air or geothermal). The problem could also be the winter, when your solar collectors do not produce any yield because snow is lying on them. Will the system ever pay off then? By the way, you also need electricity for the heat pump.

It's all the same.... the ice heating system is the "coolest" heating method of all heating types

Hello nordanney,

correct – many sites write that this is more expensive compared to other heat sources. However, this comparison almost always falls short because exactly the costs for the permit and the expert report, etc., are missing.

The collectors are filled with a liquid that is 15 degrees warm at 0 degrees outside temperature and so I think it will melt the snow – this is now my theoretical knowledge, so it would be interesting to hear an experience from real life.

I need electricity for both geothermal energy and the ice storage because after all, the heat exchanger has to run.

I have already roughly found a comparison of the heat pump systems:


[TD="align: Center"]Prices incl. VAT in Euro / April 2013
[TD="align: Center"]Investment
[TD="align: right"]Operation



[TD="align: Center"]25,000,-
[TD="align: right"]830,-



[TD="align: Center"]30,940,-
[TD="align: right"]1,184,-

Brine heat pump with deep drilling

Brine heat pump with ice storage

Here you can clearly see the higher investment costs – but why are the operating costs so high?


Itemized breakdown brine heat pump with deep drilling:


[TD="align: left"]Investment:

[TD="align: right"]Costs in Euro


[TD="align: left"]Brine heat pump 7.5 kW
[TD="align: right"]5,500,-


[TD="align: left"]Ground collector
[TD="align: right"]4,000,-


[TD="align: left"]Combined buffer 800 l heating water / 200 l hot water
[TD="align: right"]2,400,-


[TD="align: left"]Pumps, pipelines
[TD="align: right"]1,000,-


[TD="align: left"]Installation
[TD="align: right"]1,500,-


[TD="align: left"]Electrician
[TD="align: right"] 600,-


[TD="align: left"]Total
[TD="align: right"]15,000,-


[TD="align: left"]incl. 19% VAT
[TD="align: right"]17,850,-




Itemized breakdown brine heat pump with ice storage:


[TD="align: left"]Investment:

[TD="align: right"]Costs in Euro


[TD="align: left"]Brine heat pump 7.5 kW
[TD="align: right"]5,500,-


[TD="align: left"]Combined buffer 800 l heating water / 200 l hot water
[TD="align: right"]2,400,-


[TD="align: left"]Ice storage set, incl. air collectors
[TD="align: right"]12,000,-


[TD="align: left"]Earthworks
[TD="align: right"]1,000,-


[TD="align: left"]Pumps, pipelines
[TD="align: right"]2,000,-


[TD="align: left"]Installation
[TD="align: right"]2,500,-


[TD="align: left"]Electrician
[TD="align: right"] 600,-


[TD="align: left"]Total
[TD="align: right"]26,000,-


[TD="align: left"]incl. 19% VAT
[TD="align: right"]30,940,-





I am missing the costs for the soil survey and test drilling, the permits, the costs of earthworks with drilling, etc. for the brine heat pump with deep drilling! I also consider the acquisition costs for the ice storage to be exaggerated (according to one company max. 10,000 €).

Best regards,
Stefan

Ist doch Wurst.... die Eisheizung ist doch die "coolste" Heizung unter allen Heizarten

The coolest heat source for sure

But in terms of investment and operating costs, it's not a joke - unfortunately, I don't have money to burn

Which soil surveys and test drilling etc. are needed for the deep drilling? Normally there are maps of the yields in your region - at least that is the case with our construction project - so that no additional costs will arise for you. We pay (however for a stronger heat pump with about 10kW) for the drilling with all accessories including probes, trenches etc. about EUR 8,500 (drilling 2x80m). You can buy the heat pump directly with an integrated hot water storage tank, so that the external storage tank (why heating water storage??? - isn’t there enough storage in the house through the underfloor heating?) is dispensable. Pragmatic solution: simply get a few offers and then compare. Intuitively, you will then move away from the ice heating (the ice is basically just an additional storage medium, right?). I would be interested in the result.