Heat Pumps
Prejudices Against Heat Pumps – BayWa Expert Clarifies
Too expensive, too early, too complicated: these are objections to heat pumps that BayWa expert Karl-Heinz Böss often hears. The sales manager at BayWa Haustechnik addresses the three most common preconceptions about heat pumps and explains what really lies behind them.
Prejudice 1: "If I include a heat pump when renovating, I'll have to convert everything to underfloor heating."
This is what the expert says: Heat pumps are particularly often used together with underfloor heating systems, as the low flow temperatures of underfloor heating systems increase the efficiency of a heat pump. That is correct. Nevertheless, underfloor heating is not a mandatory requirement. Buildings in Germany are very different. The use of a heat pump simply has to be assessed on an individual basis. It is not possible to generalise at this point.
Prejudice 2: "With a heat pump, the electricity consumption for the property increases dramatically."
This is what the expert says: Unlike water heat pumps, which draw energy from groundwater or, in the case of ground source heat pumps, from the earth, air-to-water heat pumps consume slightly more electricity. Assuming a heating output of 10,000 kWh per year, this amounts to approximately 3,500 to 4,000 kWh (including hot water). If you work with a PV system to provide energy support for the heat pump, you use your own green electricity directly and thus achieve cost benefits.
Prejudice 3: "The technology is only now really maturing. Better to wait and see!"
This is what the expert says: Air-to-water heat pumps have developed enormously over the past six to seven years and have reached a good level of performance. As with any technology, there will be further developments in heat pumps. In the interests of climate protection, maintaining the value of your own property and in the interests of long-term cost-effective heating, the motto is: Act – don't wait.