It is certainly the most frequent question that the customer asks when they decide to undertake a process of replacing the heating system.
And that's by far the hardest question to answer.
This page refers to CIVIL HEATING SYSTEMS (villas, small houses, apartments, second homes, etc.) and limited INDUSTRIAL situations (offices, showrooms and conference rooms).
The remaining situations must be assessed and taken into consideration, from time to time, in a completely different way after careful analysis in the first design phase.
And that's by far the hardest question to answer.
This page refers to CIVIL HEATING SYSTEMS (villas, small houses, apartments, second homes, etc.) and limited INDUSTRIAL situations (offices, showrooms and conference rooms).
The remaining situations must be assessed and taken into consideration, from time to time, in a completely different way after careful analysis in the first design phase.
Premise:
As you will notice by wandering around the web, no page clearly expresses consumption values, in real terms; but approximate data, high COP (in optimal std conditions) and powers are provided, which make no difference in the field, with significant differences in consumption compared to the expected theoretical consumption.
In recent years there have also sometimes been gross errors in assessing the energy class attributed to the house and declared through a special document of Energy Performance Certificate (Each European country has its own but they are all based on the same concepts).
In many cases, an overestimation of the energy class has been made which has made it even more difficult to make a theoretical forecast of consumption that comes closest to reality.
On this page we will try to clarify as objectively as possible what consumption really depends on, based on our company experiences accumulated over the last 15 years, ending with conclusions extracted from real cases and data (“consumption invoiced in the bill”) obtained, monitored and examined with some systems (systems with gas, pellet, wood, heat pump, electric underfloor heating boilers).
Premessa Consumi
Before replacing a heating system, if we really want to find reduced amounts in the house BILL while maintaining a satisfactory temperature , whether we speak in terms of GAS or in terms of ELECTRICITY, it would be good to act on the main culprits of what is defined as a thermal bridge: WINDOWS WITH SINGLE GLAZING, NON-INSULATED ROOF, EXTERNAL WALLS WITHOUT AN INSULATION LAYER OR WITHOUT INTERNAL INSULATING SPACE.
Acting on even just one of the three COMPONENTS listed above can lead to a high benefit in terms of savings. Usually, we talk about:
Acting on even just one of the three COMPONENTS listed above can lead to a high benefit in terms of savings. Usually, we talk about:
- WINDOWS WITH DOUBLE GLAZING (Lately the triple has been applied)
- INSULATED ROOF (Wooden roofs with an insulating layer, corrugated insulated panels, etc.)
- INSULATION PANELS (ecological and not, thousands of types)
Here we begin to divide up the different types of heating systems:
- Plants powered by non-renewable sources (Gas, petroleum-derived substances)
- Plants powered by woody biomass (Pellets, Wood)
- Plants powered by renewable sources (electric heating including our Plyterm branded systems, and heat pumps)
The first two are plants that generate heat through combustion and consequently produce particles of CO (Carbon Monoxide) and CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) where for several years now, our society has had to deal with a high quantity present in the atmosphere, reaching record levels that have not occurred for a few million years, very worrying for the future of the planet.
In addition to the real problem of harmful emissions, there is the phenomenon of deforestation which reinforces the occurrence of already very worrying CO2 peaks.
CONSUMPTION IS CLOSELY RELATED TO ONE’S HABITS.
In fact, even just 1 °C can make a difference: heating and cooling of industrial buildings account for half of the EU's energy use, while over three-quarters of household energy use comes from heating and hot water.
Taking into consideration a typical house with an area of 85 m², the savings would be around Euro 150 per year for each reduced degree, remaining in the range of 22-18 degrees.
Furthermore, the use of smart thermostats can ensure that homes and spaces are only heated when they are occupied, saving up to a third on your energy bill.
Obviously, there are also factors to take into consideration, for example, it has been estimated that larger houses would save more while smaller ones would save less.
In fact, even just 1 °C can make a difference: heating and cooling of industrial buildings account for half of the EU's energy use, while over three-quarters of household energy use comes from heating and hot water.
Taking into consideration a typical house with an area of 85 m², the savings would be around Euro 150 per year for each reduced degree, remaining in the range of 22-18 degrees.
Furthermore, the use of smart thermostats can ensure that homes and spaces are only heated when they are occupied, saving up to a third on your energy bill.
Obviously, there are also factors to take into consideration, for example, it has been estimated that larger houses would save more while smaller ones would save less.
To date, anyone who speaks of a heating system, whether it is a heat pump, gas boiler or pellet stove, refers to the famous COP, including thermotechnical studies.
We have seen COP associated with thermal systems where the COP even exceeds 4 (in ideal conditions and provided that the external temperatures do not drop below x °C defined by the parent company) ... i.e. the ratio between Thermal Kw and Electric Kw is equal to 4.
But is that really the case?
Comparing some actual systems with an already historical one both in equality and in different insulation situations.
Here are the results and our conclusions:
1° - The energy classifications and the APE (made before and after the intervention) are not always true. For example, many times houses classified post-intervention as A+ or A4+, at most are actually B+.
2° - The famous heat pump COP of 4/5 are not reliable as consumption should be 4/5 times lower than plants with COP 1 and comparing them instead with other heating systems, consumption is only slightly lower or similar on a par with the characteristics listed above. Furthermore, due to their technical complexity and structured through different energy exchanges, heat pump system sizing is not always easy to calculate, which can lead to a performance error.
We have seen COP associated with thermal systems where the COP even exceeds 4 (in ideal conditions and provided that the external temperatures do not drop below x °C defined by the parent company) ... i.e. the ratio between Thermal Kw and Electric Kw is equal to 4.
But is that really the case?
Comparing some actual systems with an already historical one both in equality and in different insulation situations.
Here are the results and our conclusions:
- In situations where the Energy Class of the Home is among the lowest (F, G and N.C.) consumption remains the same between the systems. There is no convenience between one and the other, whether we are talking about electrical systems, or gas, or pellet or wood stoves.
The only aspect that must be compared for any savings is the real cost of the finished, installed, turnkey system and the annual maintenance cost, both ordinary and extraordinary in the worst-case scenario.
The only exception can be made for SECOND HOMES (albeit with poor energy efficiency), where versatility wins on the scales, simplicity in commanding the system to be switched on and off the day before arrival and zero maintenance.
The real objective technical advice that we at En-Tech provide is that before carrying out a replacement intervention on the heating system it would be necessary to try to reinforce, at least in part, the insulation of the house.
- Out of the different types of heating systems analysed, after having checked the clear difference in consumption between insulated and non-insulated houses,
in second place among the important parameters, the ROUTINE of the house inhabitant wins.
In fact, a temperature maintained throughout the house at around 17/18 °C manages to consume almost 40% less than a house which maintains temperatures around 20/21 °C with the same insulation and type of system.
- Taking energy classes from E onwards as a reference (≤ 120 Kwh/m2*year);
Taking as a reference the generally coldest period of the year: December and January;
Excluding energy inputs from self-production plants (PV, SOLAR… ETC)
Electric heating systems (whether we are talking about electric floor heating or air-water heat pumps) are positioned at the forefront with a percentage of average real consumption from 10 to 35% less than the other types. (About 25 thermal Kwh/m2 in the 2 months of December + January in declared class A+++). The consumption data was extracted from real bills in situations taken and compared individually.
1° - The energy classifications and the APE (made before and after the intervention) are not always true. For example, many times houses classified post-intervention as A+ or A4+, at most are actually B+.
2° - The famous heat pump COP of 4/5 are not reliable as consumption should be 4/5 times lower than plants with COP 1 and comparing them instead with other heating systems, consumption is only slightly lower or similar on a par with the characteristics listed above. Furthermore, due to their technical complexity and structured through different energy exchanges, heat pump system sizing is not always easy to calculate, which can lead to a performance error.
- We Check
- We Analyze
- We Design
- We Budget
To offer you the best solution, with the best result, at the best price.
To offer you the best solution, with the best result, at the best price.
