In all cases, it is important to know as much as possible about the subject in order to build the best heating system. That's why we've put together a short comparison to help you find the perfect solution for you.
Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Heating
Let's start from the beginning, in the case of a new house being built, there is no question that it is worth installing an air-to-water heat pump.
After all, the heating system will then be a very simple and efficient unit. With a little exaggeration, you put a box next to the house, connect it to the water system inside the house and the heating is on.
If you can install a solar panel on the roof, you can even produce your own energy. And with the H tariff, we can operate our heat pumps at a discount.
When replacing or upgrading an existing heating system, it is not so easy to opt for a heat pump, as a heat pump is a low-flow system and therefore not optimal for radiator heating. While a heat pump works most efficiently with water at 30 degrees, radiators require water at 60-70 degrees, otherwise the radiator surface area would have to be increased to an extreme to provide sufficient heat dissipation. So, in addition to the heat pump, underfloor and wall heating, ceiling heating is the appropriate heat emitter both because of its size and location. Unfortunately, in houses built in the 80s and 90s, radiator heating is the most common type of heating, and replacing it completely or even installing underfloor heating would be very expensive. This situation can be helped by modern, heat-pump air conditioners, which work exactly like a mini heat pump, only instead of water they heat the air in the apartment and, as a pleasant bonus, cool it in the summer!
Air conditioners can also qualify for the H tariff, and if you have a solar system, you can use the electricity it generates to heat your home in winter and cool it in summer, making it a perfect alternative to a large heat pump and avoiding the need to replace your existing system. While a heat pump is not necessarily suitable for cooling a home - because even a floor heater cannot be connected to cold water in summer, it is not comfortable - it can only be used for ceiling and wall heating, with air conditioning heating can be converted to cooling very easily, without any additional equipment. So in the case where you want to convert a radiator heating system, it is worthwhile to add air conditioning to the system, even if you leave the existing heating system in place.
If the chimney is old or unlined and cannot be lined, there is still a solution. The cost of such a chimney renovation can run into millions of euros, especially in the case of an old apartment building with many storeys. In such cases, air-conditioning is the most obvious alternative, as it is rare that the conditions in the apartment are suitable for the installation of a heat pump and there is not enough space to install one.
Convector
Convectors were invented in the 1980s and 90s, when gas oil and stove heating had to be replaced by the then new natural gas system. The simplest solution for ready-made homes was to install easy-to-install convectors, which, with gas prices still low at the time, did not cost much, even with the efficiency of the 60%. Nowadays, such poor efficiency and gas wasting equipment is considered a luxury and more and more are being replaced with modern, refrigeration-heating air conditioning units during home renovations.
Fireplaces, water fireplaces
In the early 2000s, fireplaces, water fireplaces, were a big success on the market as an alternative heating solution to gas. In the meantime, the market had re-priced the economics of fireplaces, as firewood had tripled in price during this period and the 70-80% efficiency of a fireplace was not competitive with either gas or electric heat pump systems for day-to-day use. While fireplace heating can be very good because of its cozy nature, it is important to know that the continued use of a fireplace has other responsibilities. The fireplace has to be constantly loaded with wood, which has to be stocked and dried every year, and then ashed, and there may be a smell of smoke in the home. So, apart from its idyllic appearance and romantic ambience, it may not be the best choice in terms of efficiency.
Electric underfloor heating
The positive thing about electric underfloor heating is that it is easy to lay and the warm feeling at the feet is much more pleasant than the comfort of general heating. It is economical to install, but its operation requires a high energy consumption, so it is only a good option when the renovation budget does not include an economical heating system, but the existing one has to be replaced for some reason: chimneys, convectors, old radiators, etc.
Pellet boiler
The palette boiler heating system is fraught with similar compromises as the wood-burning fireplace, although perhaps a little more comfortable.
The cost is high and the bigger problem is sourcing the wood pellets and ensuring consistent quality. There is not enough wood pellets on the market. Agricultural pellets are not suitable for heating because of their high silicon carbide content, which can clog the burner. And the price of clean, peeled wood pellets has risen so dynamically and the supply available on the market has been so tight that, unfortunately, domestic use has become a dead end. The basic principle was to provide adequate heating in houses built in areas without gas mains, but the heat pump has driven it out of the market in a very short time.
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