Russia gas: Many Freisingers want to change the heating now – rush “hard to cope with”

Created: 04/29/2022, 10:00 am

When the heating oil is delivered, many a house or apartment owner becomes uneasy.

The prices have increased enormously.

Many therefore now want to switch to modern heating technologies.

But it's not that easy.

After all, modernization with a modern condensing boiler is always possible.

© dpa

As a reaction to the war in Russia and the insecurity in the supply of gas, many district citizens now want to change their heating system.

The rush is enormous.

District

– The citizens are concerned about the enormous energy prices.

Advice for heating and plumbing companies is therefore more in demand than ever at the moment.

Many citizens in the district are currently wondering whether they should change their energy supply because of rising prices and supply uncertainty - away from the energy-guzzling old burners.

But it's not that easy.

The companies in the district are already feeling the concerns of the worried citizens and are working at full speed.

For the company "Bock" in Neufahrn, the current situation is "barely manageable", as Sabrina Bock reports.

Bock explains that eight to ten regular customers contact us every day with the desire to switch their energy supply.

An air heat pump, for example, in which heat extracted from the ambient air is passed on to the heating water circuit, seems to be the first choice for many customers.

However, this modern technology cannot be used everywhere.

A distance of seven to eight meters to the neighboring window and three meters to the property line is required, and the houses must also be very well insulated.

As Bock explains, it must therefore be checked whether the conversion to an air heat pump is even possible.

According to Bock, an alternative, the groundwater pump, is often too expensive and the well required for this should not even be drilled in terraced houses, for example.

Expert: There is a lot of half-knowledge floating around

There is also a lot going on at the company "Hofer Haustechnik" in Rudelzhausen, as Managing Director Herbert Hofer reports.

The graduate engineer points out that there is "a lot of half-knowledge" in circulation with regard to the energy supply.

According to Hofer, when it comes to the much sought-after air heat pump, it is often forgotten that it is operated with electricity and not with air, as it seems.

In principle, Hofer advises its customers to first “optimize” their energy supply, for example with solar systems (to generate electricity) or solar thermal systems (to generate heat).

With the latter method, however, it must be checked whether the heat obtained from the sun's rays can be used again at all and whether the installation makes sense at all given the high costs.

Hofer also puts the assumption that air heat pumps are significantly more environmentally friendly than oil heating, for example, into perspective.

While an oil heating system produces about 2.6 kilograms of CO2 per liter, the value of the air heat pump with the same heating energy is slightly lower at 2.0 kilograms.

Citizens worried about security of supply

Alternatives are also pellet heating systems, although you need a storage space for the wood chips.

If demand increases, the prices for pellets are also likely to rise.

In the case of apartment buildings with (old) oil or gas heating, there is often only one option: replacing the old boiler with a modern condensing boiler, which is relatively inexpensive and saves 20 to 30 percent of energy.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

Dominik Schwegler, Managing Director of Freisinger Stadtwerke Vertriebs-GmbH, also experiences a greater need for advice on the subject of heating and warmth.

However, the topic of the consultations is less the rising prices.

Customers were much more concerned about security of supply.

When it comes to heating, higher costs must always be expected.

After all, district heating and electricity also have to be produced first: "The shoe pinches in all areas," says Schwegler.

Mini solar system is trendy

According to the Agenda21 group "Energy and Climate Protection", even tenants can make a small contribution to the energy transition.

Mini solar systems can, for example, be attached in the garden, on the terrace or on the balcony railing and, except in winter, supply additional energy: "A family can harvest up to around 600 kilowatt hours a year with two modules if they are well aligned to the south, which is electricity savings of up to 150 euros/year."

You can read all information about the Ukraine war and its effects in Bavaria here on our Ukraine refugees topic page.

With the mini solar systems that are currently in vogue, however, house walls usually have to be drilled through, which is not possible without the consent of the homeowners' association.

And: As useful as the small solar systems are in summer: In winter, when energy consumption is highest, they naturally weaken.