Guide: What to do, if you need a new heating?
First of all it is a shock, when the heating suddenly fails and the heating professional who hurried to come in just calls it a total damage. Or if during the regular heating maintenance you hear the words “That heating will not make it much longer”. First of all you might think it is a simple sales tactic of the heating professional. But then you realise when thinking back, that your heating has already 25 or more years on the clock. And all your neighbours already have a new heating. That means, now it is getting serious. But keep calm.
What needs to be considered now.
If you have an old oil- or gas heating, an exchange is good for your cost in the long run. Beacause heating cost are generally better on modern systems, than the cost of old heatings. And it is better for the environment as well. Any combustion sets free CO2. And CO2, as we know for a long time by now, is not good for the environment. It is responsible for the climate-change and should, therefore, be kept as low as possible. or even avoided completely.
Next to the environmental aspects there is also the question what the costs are – cost for the initial purchase and also the running cost over the next years. Below, we take a look at both aspects.
The environmental compatibility of the heating
Looking at the CO2 emissions of different heating systems, it appears that wood comes out best. Renewable energies have - by definition - no direct CO2 emissions. Wood, as a growing back raw material, sets free only so much CO2, as it has taken in during its lifetime. That makes wood a CO2-neutral energy and as such it is initially very attractive to home owners. And that in the form of wood logs, woodchips or wood pellets. However, the initial cost of a wood heating are much higher then the cost for an oil- or gas heating. But the running costs are lower. natural gas ranks as mid-level of CO2 emission, followed by heating oil and - with the highest emissions - conventional electricity (in a German mix).

Heating: CO2 emission by heating system in Germany (in kg CO2-equivalent per kWh) | Statista
But CO2 emission is not all!
Everybody looks at the CO2 emission first. But there are other polluting emissions which are or importance for a heating. Despite its CO2-neutrality, wood does not come out so well. Especially solid fuels like wood and pellets produce larger amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine dust emissions - oil and gas have here much less impact on the environment:
That does not yet take solar systems into consideration. Sun energy is available free of charge (!) and it can be converted into electricity and heat without emissions. In the mean time hybrid solar systems (PVT), are available which can produce electricity and heat at the same time. And enough heat, to completely replace the standard heating with combustion and CO2 emission.
Was können moderne PVT Solarsysteme heutzutage?
Seit Kurzem gibt es die PVT (hybride) sun collectors, which produce electricity with the surface (PV) and in the inside they make use of the otherwise unused heat of the sun, to produce thermal energy (T) easily. That means that electricity and heat is produces in parallel by a PVT sun collector. Even better, the led away heat helps, to produce more electricity. PV cells work much more efficient and productive at lower temperatures. That leads the heat away. Through that the module is cooled, so the PV cells produce approx. 17 – 20 % more electricity, than uncooled PV modules of the same make.
There have been some attempts in the past, which did not yield the expected results. Wir haben das Konzept der PVT Solaranlagen weiter entwickelt. And: Our PVT sun collectors are the very first and only so far to have been awarded the TÜV certificate. That proofs quality, functionality and output, tested and certified by an official body.
Modern solar systems work as a team.
Next to the sun collectors it is very important, how the heat in the solar fluid in the modules is converted into heating energy. That is the point where our new, highly efficient heat pump solar boiler comes into the game. Other than a normal heat pump, which heats air only by using electricity, our heat pump uses the the built-in solar boiler to substantially relieve the heat pump work.
The heat pump is a good insurance for times without sun. And it works with electricity, der auch von den PVT Sonnenkollektoren (hybride) sun collectors. The electricity produced during the day can either be saved in batteries or it can be saved to the grid – as an intermediate storage. During the night, when the heat pumps needs electricity, it can be retrieved from the grid. The goal is, to save minimum the amount of electricity to the grid, that is retrieved later from the grid. Then it is a “Zero-Energy-Home”, because production and use are balanced or even better. you have saved more electricity, than you used afterwards.
And wat are the cost of a new heating?
Of course, any indication of total costs is always dependent on the individual case. There are many different costs mentioned on the internet for different heating systems. However, these only refer to a new installation. But running cost over the next years are also an important factor.
Here are some examples of purchasing costs from the Internet:
- Oil heating: 8.000 – 9.000 Euro
- Gas heating: 7.000 – 9.000 Euro
- Pellets heating: 17.000-25.000 Euro
- Wood chips heating: 20.000 – 25.000 Euro
- Unsere moderne PVT (hybride) solar system: 12.000 – 20.000 Euro (depending on individual configuration)
Of course, purchasing costs are differing widely. But what also plays an important role in any consideration: the running costs. And also those vary very much. For oil and gas we have to expect increasing prices – annual cost approx. 2.000 – 3.000 Euro. Pellets and wood chips prices will also rise in view of increasing demand – annual cost approx. 1.000 – 1.500 Euro. Nur die PVT Solaranlage hat keine Folgekosten: the sun energy is free and the conversion into electricity and heat is available at no charge. The systems maintenance cost is comparable to the cost of the other heating systems, so it does not fall into the equation. Damit amortisiert sich eine PVT Solaranlage erheblich schneller, than all other alternatives.
And it also meas, dass Sie nach der Amortisation der PVT Solaranlage – typically after 7 to 8 years – you save the complete energy cost year by year. And that for many years! In a household with 4 persons, who used an oil- or gas heating before, the savings can amount to 2.500 – 4.500 Euro per annum! And at the same time you also help the environment.
The conclusion
If the heating is defect and needs replacement, it is worthwhile to look at a modern, PVT Solaranlage auf jeden Fall. The purchasing cost after deduction of the subsidies are manageable – evtl. in connection with a low-interest lown – and after the pay-off period you save a huge amount of energy cost. Als you also do something good for the environment. We are glad to advise you free of charge and without obligation, whether that calculates for you.