A heat pump is increasingly being chosen as a home heating system. Unfortunately, there are some myths and misunderstandings surrounding it that are worth clarifying. How does this system work? Is it difficult to use and most of all: do you have to spend a lot on such an installation? Here are the answers to these questions.
What is the principle of a heat pump? This heating solution is promoted as being climate friendly and as drawing most of its energy from the surrounding environment.
What does it look like in detail? It consists of three parts:
With the new WT2021 heat standards coming into force, the requirements for low energy consumption are becoming more stringent – hence the need for renewable energy sources. This is where a heat pump comes in very handy. In addition, there is no need to build a chimney in this case, which reduces the cost of building a house. It is very often combined with a photovoltaic installation on the roof
In addition, the heat pump itself is not a noisy or fume-producing device, which allows it to be placed in a utility room or garage, but without the need for a specially designed boiler room. There are single-part installations (monoblock) or two-part installations (split), where one of the parts, the cooling one, must be placed outside the building. The device is not very big – it resembles a large refrigerator.
A heat pump is classified almost as a maintenance-free system. This manifests itself in the fact that we will save the time we normally have to spend on firing up, putting in fuel or cleaning the stove. To operate it, it is enough to program the system properly and make possible corrections at a later time. It is worth noting that it gives more savings than boilers for pellets or eco-pea, which are equipped with a feeding device.
Often change of heating type is connected with expensive modifications made in order to prepare the building properly from technical side. In case of heat pump such difficulties do not exist. The advantage is that in the case of older buildings you can apply for funding
Heat pumps, especially when combined with an investment in photovoltaic panels, are a modern and environmentally friendly solution. Unfortunately, they usually pay for themselves after quite a long period of time – still their installation is quite expensive and therefore many people, potentially interested in such installation, give up.
>> See also: What is stationary heating?
How much money should we talk about in this case? Of course, a lot depends on the size of the house, which is a decisive factor. In the case of an average-sized house, i.e. one with an area of up to 150 m², the lower limit of installation costs is usually set at at least 50 thousand PLN. In the case of larger square meters, the costs also increase, of course.
Is a heat pump a cost-effective solution after all? Undoubtedly, after several years the installation will begin to pay for itself. However it is worth mentioning that it is a very future-oriented choice: it makes us independent e.g. from fluctuations of prices of energy resources which are always painful for our wallets. So it gives some hope that also in the future it will be possible to heat at low cost and without fear of price increases.
