Installation of a gas heating system in new construction 2023/2024

Hello,
to put it differently: does the insulation standard and the execution of the heating system allow for a later, trouble-free conversion to a heat pump? In other words, is there underfloor heating with reasonable spacing of the heating circuits, or are normal radiators still planned?

The insulation will definitely be okay in a new building, the question is about the heating system design. Currently, the additional cost for a heat pump would probably be so high that you can hardly recoup the extra expenses, even if the gas price doubles or triples. And when the heating system needs to be replaced in 20 years, a heat pump will be installed and that's it.

A 135 sqm terraced house with solar thermal should manage with a maximum of 8000 kWh gas consumption per year. (That was our consumption in a 135 sqm semi-detached house from 2011). That means gas costs of 800-1000 € per year. A heat pump costs about 700 €. Even if the gas price doubles while the electricity price stays the same, that's maybe 1300 € extra costs per year. Currently, a heat pump would cost you an additional 20k €. These also need to be calculated with 4% interest. That means you have 1200-800 = 500 € savings through the heat pump. That results in an ROI of 40 years, which is longer than the heating system lasts anyway.
In other words: If the house can be properly converted to a heat pump later, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Best regards,

Andreas

I would additionally check where the gas heating is located and whether a heat pump can be easily installed there in terms of space conditions and location in the house.

Hi,
to put it differently: does the insulation standard and the implementation of the heating system allow a later, trouble-free conversion to a heat pump? In other words, is there underfloor heating with reasonable spacing of the heating loops, or are there still normal radiators planned?

The insulation will definitely be okay in a new build, the question is about the heating system implementation. Currently, the extra cost for a heat pump would probably be so high that you would hardly recoup the additional costs anyway, even if the gas price doubles or triples. And when the heating system needs to be replaced in 20 years, a heat pump will be installed and that's that.

A 135 sqm terraced house with solar thermal should manage with a maximum of 8000 kWh of gas consumption per year. (That's how much we had in a 135 sqm semi-detached house from 2011). That means gas costs of 800-1000 € per year. A heat pump costs about 700 €. Even if the gas price doubles with the electricity price remaining the same, that would be maybe 1300 € additional costs per year. A heat pump would currently cost you an extra 20k. That also has to be calculated with 4% interest. So you are at 1200-800 = 500 € savings thanks to the heat pump. That gives an ROI of 40 years; the heating system won’t last that long anyway.
In other words: if the house can be properly converted to a heat pump later, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Best regards,

Andreas