Heating without Putin's energy: heat pumps are popular - and becoming scarce

Created: 08/13/2022, 06:43

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The demand for heat pumps is currently high.

The delivery times are now half a year.

Interested parties should calculate the installation of a heat pump carefully beforehand.

Munich – Germany is threatened by a harsh winter in view of the gas crisis.

No wonder that many people in Germany are looking for alternative heating systems.

Particularly popular: the heat pump.

Their market share increased significantly in the first half of the year.

But delivery problems are slowing down the change.

There is currently a high demand not only for heat pumps

In a survey conducted by the Central Association for Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning (ZVSHK) in July, 94.2 percent of companies reported delivery problems on the part of wholesalers and manufacturers.

Heat pumps are particularly scarce at the moment.

"Our companies could currently install any heat pump if they had any," said ZVSHK spokesman Frank Ebisch on Thursday when asked by

.

"If you order a heat pump today, you can expect installation in the spring of next year at the earliest." German manufacturers are currently expanding their production lines.

"But they can't deliver at the moment."

The problem has therefore worsened significantly over the past two years: At the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, only 31.4 percent of sanitary companies reported delivery problems.

There is currently a high demand not only for heat pumps, but also for boilers and radiators as well as for control and regulation technology.

The Federal Heat Pump Association (BWP) also estimates the waiting time to be at least six months.

"The demand at the moment clearly exceeds the supply," said BWP spokesman Martin Sabel

.

In addition to the long delivery times for the manufacturers, there are also bottlenecks on the part of the craftsmen.

In recent years, the heat pump has evolved from a niche product into a trend product among heating systems in private buildings.

It is mainly found in new buildings, but also more and more in existing buildings.

(Archive image) © Andrea Warnecke/dpa-tmn

However, before you decide to buy a heat pump, you should do some basic research.

Because: The heating alternative is not worthwhile for everyone.

The most important questions and answers at a glance:

How many heat pumps are installed?

According to the Federal Statistical Office, heat pumps were used in more than half of all new buildings (50.6 percent) for the first time in 2021.

The trend is continuing: According to figures from the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH), heating contractors delivered around 25 percent more heat pumps in the first half of 2022 than in the same period last year.

According to the

, the market share of heat pumps rose from 17 to 21 percent.

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According to the Federal Heat Pump Association, around 1.3 million heat pumps are installed throughout Germany.

For comparison: around 14 million gas heaters heat German houses and apartments.

The federal government's goal is to install at least 500,000 new heat pumps annually from 2024, and a total of six million should be installed by 2030.

However, a lot still has to be done for this: According to the association, only around 150,000 heating heat pumps were installed last year.

How does a heat pump work?

A heat pump works in a similar way to a refrigerator – only in reverse.

While the refrigerator extracts heat from the interior and releases it to the outside, a heat pump draws external heat from the ground, water or air, depending on the design.

The advantage: comparatively little electrical power is required for the drive.

A heat pump system consists of three parts: the heat source system, the actual heat pump and the distribution and storage system.

First, a liquid, usually a mixture of water and antifreeze, is heated in the heat source system with the ambient heat.

This is not a problem even when the outside temperatures are cold: From a depth of around 15 meters, the temperature is constant around ten degrees Celsius all year round, and the groundwater has a temperature of seven to 14 degrees.

This thermal energy is extracted via the heat source system and transported to the actual heat pump.

A refrigerant circulates in the heat pump that evaporates at low temperatures.

The refrigerant vapor is compressed by a compressor and thus continues to heat up - the same physical effect as with a bicycle pump, which also gets hot when pumping.

The hot refrigerant gas then condenses in a so-called condenser, transfers its heat to the house's heating system and begins the cycle again in liquid form.

The house's heating system, in which mostly water circulates, absorbs the heat from the heat pump and distributes it throughout the house.

The following applies: the lower the heating temperature, the more effective the heat pump.

Underfloor heating is therefore particularly suitable – due to the large area, it only requires a low flow temperature.

A heat pump can convert a single kilowatt hour of electricity into around four to six kilowatt hours of heat.

How much does a heat pump cost?

The installation of a heat pump is an investment: Depending on the design and funding, the costs for acquisition and installation vary between around 10,000 and 30,000 euros.

Up to 40 percent of the costs can be subsidized by the state as part of federal funding for efficient buildings.

Applications are made through the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control.

However, additional costs can be incurred, especially in existing buildings and in old buildings: The hot water supply may have to be adapted and surface heating, such as underfloor heating, installed.

In the case of new buildings, on the other hand, attention can be paid to efficient heating planning right from the start.

Running costs are also incurred depending on the heat requirement and the electricity price.

The installation of a heat pump should always be carefully calculated.