Which heating system is currently the best?

Hello EarlGrey,

we are also planning to build a house and I have spent a long time dealing with the question of heating technology. In recent years, house-building companies apparently like to sell air-to-water heat pumps because they seem to help easily overcome the Energy Saving Ordinance hurdle and there are hardly any regulations to comply with.

In the meantime, I have completely given up on additional expenses for heating technology because we are not dependent on the equity bonus of the KfW funding programs. Heating technology has a limited lifespan and should pay off within this time (20-25 years?).

I did the math for our planned townhouse with 165 sqm (single-layer brick wall) to see what I could save with an air-to-water heat pump compared to a gas condensing boiler: in my opinion, less than 100 euros per year. Calculate how many euros you would earn in interest if you invest the money and buy the then state-of-the-art technology in 20 years.

[KfW-55.]
In my opinion, bungalows have a lot of exterior surface area relative to the living area, meaning: to achieve a KFW 55 standard, you would have to plan a highly thermal-insulated wall structure (e.g. lightweight wood construction or thick ETICS) and expensive roof insulation (24cm WLG-32 or similar) and additionally spend a lot of money on building services.

[My recommendation:]
Invest instead in a proper central ventilation system with heat recovery. About 30-70% of the heat is lost through ventilation, and you can save about 80% of ventilation losses with this. The costs of a ventilation system with heat recovery (filter + fan) remain fairly constant over the years, while heating costs will rise. The more they rise, the happier you will be about the savings in a few years.

[Regenerative energies:]
What in my view would still be most sensible:

[*]Pellet heating, if you have enough space for the pellet storage.
[*]Ground or brine-water heat pumps with annual performance factors of at least 4, preferably 5. If deep drilling is too expensive or not allowed, a trench collector could be a good option.

But you have to be aware that the investments almost certainly will not pay off, but your conscience is relieved.

Good luck deciding!

yes, let it be April or May... depending on how everything goes... if everything goes smoothly, you can also start earlier... as I said, I'm not really a pro at this and have to rely on other experiences and opinions...

Hello,

.....as I said, I'm not really a pro and have to rely on other experiences and opinions...

Experience from others is generally only conditionally usable, as every BV has individual framework conditions.
If it were different, everyone would have the same system.
Primarily, an exact basic determination is necessary. Here, among other things, the actual demand (power, energy) for heating, hot water, and possibly ventilation is determined. With the resulting parameters, a sensible solution can then be found relatively quickly or the respective investment or capital service can be assessed. Everything else, in my opinion, is a look into a very cloudy crystal ball and by no means reliable.

Best regards.

THE best heating technology does not exist anyway. You also have to consider the whole thing financially. For us, in our case, the cheapest alternative was the gas condensing boiler. These systems are also being further developed, and you save the most if you simply consume little.

You have to find out for yourself which system is best for you. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each system and find a solution.

Hello K.Brodbeck,

well, I don’t really understand much of what you wrote... but an energy-saving construction method is definitely planned. From a low-energy house 55 up to a passive house. I believe that way we are definitely better than the legal minimum requirements.

Best regards, Earl

Hello Earl,

as you have already learned from others, the question of which heating system you want depends on the standard you build to. Of course, it is currently cheapest to build the simplest construction method and take the cheapest heating system, but I want to clearly distance myself from this suggestion. In my opinion, money is not everything in the world; you also have to consider what you leave behind for your descendants! Furthermore, a profitability calculation is a pure crystal ball prediction—who knows how prices will develop. The profitability of systems ten years ago has massively increased after the massive price hikes in recent years, but it could have turned out differently.

In my opinion, it is primarily important to consume little energy; then the type of energy generation is not as important anymore. This does not mean that one should build energy-saving at any cost.

One always has to set priorities. In my case, money is of course the first priority (as with most people) and building with natural materials (building biology) is second, followed by the most energy-saving construction method possible. This means that I only build if I can afford a house with ecological building materials (otherwise I’d rather not), and if there is still room left, I improve the energy standard. These decisions should, however, be checked by cost estimation and decided on or with the building application.

Depending on the construction method, various heating solutions come into question. While with an oil, pellet, or wood stove heating system you have to worry about the fuel and the chimney sweep, with a gas heating system you only have to worry about the chimney sweep, and with an air-water heat pump you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. On the other hand, I only recommend a heat pump if it is used in an energy-efficient house (solar house, passive house or better) and it is only ecological if it is operated with certified electricity from renewable sources, otherwise the positive energy balance is worthless as well.
For me (us), I am planning a classic old wood stove heating system (tiled stove in the living-dining kitchen connected to the combined water heater) and solar thermal collectors on the roof. That way, in summer and the warm transitional periods, I don’t have to make a fire in the tiled stove for our daily hot water use.
As you can see, there are many solutions, all individually customized. Do you want a worry-free package, or just the cheapest option, do you think long-term or just short-sighted...

Unfortunately, there is no heating system that is currently the best; instead, you have to find the best system according to the individual requirements. But your architect should be able to explain all this to you in detail!

Best regards

K.Brodbeck