Study makes the calculation
When is a heat pump worthwhile
21.06.2024, 13:39
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Installing a heat pump is notoriously expensive. A study has now shown that it is nevertheless cheaper in the long term than buying a new gas heating system. “It’s worth it” to invest, says EON Energy boss Filip Thon, and “to move the world forward”.
According to a study by the energy supplier EON, investing in a personal energy transition can also pay off financially. Purchasing and operating a heat pump, combined with a solar system, can be cheaper after eleven years in an unrenovated single-family home from the 1990s than a new gas heating system, as the study by EON and the Technical University of Aachen found. “It’s worth it” to invest and “move the world forward,” said EON Energy boss Filip Thon.
The study by the RWTH Aachen University examined the time after which the costs for purchasing and operating modern energy solutions are lower than for a new gas heating system for various house types, family sizes and locations. Three models were assumed for the energy solutions: the installation of a heat pump, a heat pump plus solar system or a heat pump, solar system and battery storage. The current state subsidy per heat pump, namely 16,500 euros, was included.
For example, the operating costs for a terraced house from the 1990s with around 130 square meters were estimated at around 6,400 euros per year for gas and around 4,520 euros for electricity for the heat pump. For a single-family house built in 2005, the costs were around 3,000 euros per year for gas and 2,130 euros for the heat pump. EON Energy boss Thon said that gas prices would rise in the medium term – simply because fewer and fewer people were buying gas and therefore network charges were rising.
Gas market expert Sebastian Gulbis also believes that rising gas prices are possible. “The European gas markets will remain volatile,” he recently told ntv.de. “For example, extreme demand-side events such as a cold winter or supply-side infrastructure failures can lead to sharply rising prices and price peaks in the short term.”
EON: There is still a lot of ignorance among customers
From the customer’s perspective, the personal energy transition must be “affordable,” stressed Thon. However, there is still a lot of ignorance on this topic. The company commissioned the study to help people who are about to change their heating system make a decision.
In a survey commissioned by EON, a third of the 5,000 respondents estimated that the total costs of buying and operating a heat pump plus solar system would only be cheaper after 16 or even 20 years compared to a new gas heating system. More than a quarter had no opinion on the matter. A fifth of respondents, however, gave the correct assessment according to the study.
EON Energie boss Thon now stressed that “even smaller things can make a difference.” Smaller purchases such as smart thermostats, LED energy-saving lamps or an energy-saving shower head can sometimes be refinanced within just a few months. The company presented calculations for this. EON Energie says it has around 14 million customers, making it the largest green electricity provider in Germany.