The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Too expensive, too cold, too rarely compatible? 5 myths about the heat pump in check

2023-05-22T21:10:50.713Z

Highlights: There are numerous myths circulating around the heat pump, which is considered an alternative to oil and gas heating systems. A fact check is intended to clarify whether the statements are true or not. In the technology, heat is extracted from the environment and brought to a higher temperature, usually between 35 and 55 degrees Celsius, with the help of electricity. The heat pump requires the expensive electricity to operate, but depending on its efficiency, it requires fewer kilowatt hours than a gas heating system. An expert at the Fraunhofer Institute considers heat pumps to be the heating system of the future.



There are numerous myths circulating around the heat pump, which is considered an alternative to oil and gas heating systems, which are often unfounded. A fact check clarifies.

Frankfurt – As part of climate protection, the German government is initiating the farewell to gas and oil heating systems and, with Habeck's Heating Act, is increasingly relying on heat pump technology as an alternative to conventional heating. However, despite the political will and environmental benefits that come with this technology, there are still claims that question its effectiveness. A fact check is intended to clarify whether the statements are true or not.

Heat pumpCombined heat and power engine
Energy resourcesAmbient air, soil, groundwater
Subsidy for installationUp to 40 percent possible

Fact check clears up myths about heat pumps as an alternative to gas heating

Claim: With a heat pump, the radiators do not warm up properly.

False. The radiators will be warm, but not red-hot. "Therein lies the savings potential," says department head Arian Freytag of the consumer advice center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the technology, heat is extracted from the environment and brought to a higher temperature, usually between 35 and 55 degrees Celsius, with the help of electricity. With this so-called flow temperature, the heating water flows through the system to the radiators, explains Katja Weinhold from the German Heat Pump Association (BWP).

"The radiators will definitely get warm enough," says Weinhold. However, heat pumps cannot compete with conventional oil and gas heating systems. During combustion, temperatures of several 100 degrees are sometimes generated, explains Weinhold, "with most of this heat dissipating through the chimney".

Myths about heat pumps as an alternative to gas heating: High costs are "big exception"

Claim: Homeowners have to pay up to 300,000 euros.

Misleading. In order to come close to a sum of 300,000 euros, an old house would have to be completely renovated in terms of energy efficiency. Peter Kafke from the consumer advice centre illustrates this with an example: If not only radiators that are too small are replaced by larger ones, but also a new underfloor heating system is installed, the costs increase significantly.

If, in addition, the house is insulated and new windows are installed, the costs could reach 200,000 euros. Kafke, however, describes this as "the great exception".

Claim: A heat pump does not pay off financially in the long run.

0

Also Read

Lose 13 kilos in a few weeks? This is what is behind the Japan method

READ

Haribo sounds the alarm and launches recall – do not eat popular cult candy under any circumstances

READ

Mass layoffs: Vodafone loses hundreds of thousands of customers

READ

Driver's license change from 2023 - New regulations apply to all motorists

READ

What hairdressers think about customers but never tell them

READ

Fancy a voyage of discovery?

My Area

Often wrong. According to Katja Weinhold, the initial investment in a heat pump is higher compared to an oil or gas heating system, despite state subsidies, which can be applied for under certain conditions. Additional measures, such as replacing radiators or insulation, can further increase costs. This means that the expenses for the new heating system will have to be recouped over the years. After 25 years at the latest, the system will pay for itself.

Fact check on heat pumps: Good systems require fewer kilowatt hours

A calculation by the Fraunhofer Institute shows that a partially renovated single-family house with 150 square meters of space to be heated is operated with an averagely efficient heat pump that generates three kilowatts of heat from one kilowatt of electricity. Compared to a gas heating system, you save over 150 euros per month.

This means that the heat pump requires the expensive electricity to operate, but depending on its efficiency, it requires fewer kilowatt hours than a gas heating system. An expert at the institute therefore considers heat pumps to be the heating system of the future, as he explains in an interview with fr.de.

Claim: A heat pump is not more climate-friendly than a gas heating system.

False. According to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), a gas boiler generates around 218 grams of climate-damaging CO₂ per kilowatt hour (kWh). In the case of a single-family home, this amounts to around 4.4 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The heat pump, on the other hand, needs electricity for operation. "Depending on the production, this can be clean or harmful to the climate," explains Arian Freytag from the consumer advice center.

The German government recommends heat pumps as an environmentally friendly alternative to oil and gas heating systems. © Christian Ohde/imago

Myths about heat pumps as an alternative to gas heating: Much more climate-friendly

According to the UBA, the electricity mix in Germany produces 434 grams of CO₂ per kWh. With a mediocre heat pump, you get about 145 grams of CO₂ emissions per kWh of heat. Calculated over the year, this amounts to almost 2.9 tonnes of CO₂. Compared to natural gas, this means a saving of about 35 percent.

Those who obtain their electricity only from renewable energies can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. "With a 100 percent green electricity tariff, the heat pump is well ahead of gas heating in terms of climate friendliness," explains Freytag.

Claim: In old buildings, the installation of a heat pump is also impossible because of the lack of underfloor heating.

False. "It doesn't matter whether you have underfloor heating or radiators," says Peter Kafke. The flow temperature must be right. Often, the radiators that have already been installed are oversized and therefore suitable for heating with heat pumps, adds department head Freytag.

Facts about the heat pump: Underfloor heating myth persists

In case of ambiguity, Kafke advises an examination. This could lead to a "replacement of individual radiators and individual insulation measures" that ensure that it gets sufficiently warm with a low flow temperature. The fact that heat pumps only work with underfloor heating is a myth that persists, according to BWP spokeswoman Weinhold. "The heat pump loves large heating surfaces, but doesn't necessarily need them." (tt/dpa)

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2023-05-22

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-01-30T08:39:45.159Z
Life/Entertain 2024-01-31T06:59:02.512Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.