Ok but… How much does it consume?
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WE ADVISE YOU TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE CAREFULLY.
IT MAY HELP YOU IN YOUR CHOICE.
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.
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).
What actually reduces consumption in a building?
Overall, 80% of energy savings and therefore a reduction in consumption is done by THERMAL INSULATION of the house.
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:
- 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)
There are many characteristics, types and costs for each individual component that must be studied and analysed with the professional company that follows you in the construction and depending on your finances.
Any intervention to replace the WINDOWS is usually seen as the least invasive and therefore the most chosen by those who want to try to improve the situation, also avoiding bureaucratic obstacles.
And the remaining 20%?
The remaining 20% of the total energy savings of a building is determined by the type of system used for heating and the most important points that characterize it are:
- Integration or not with an energy self-generation system (photovoltaic, geothermal, wind, etc.)
- User habits
- Maintenance costs and overall dimensions
- Comparisons in the field and Conclusions
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.
… FROM A RENEWABLE SOURCE… Meanwhile, the systems powered by renewable sources such as our Plyterm Electric Heating are systems powered exclusively by electricity. In recent years, giving strength to the concept of electricity has certainly been dictated by greater environmental sensitivity and the continuous development of alternative technologies. Just think of the evolution that electric heating systems have had in recent years.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to do! High percentages of electricity are still produced by power plants where there is combustion, but we at En-Tech srl believe it is now an obligatory step for our future.
A fundamentally important issue in choosing the system is the possibility of using SELF-PRODUCED energy. Something that can only be done with electrical systems.
BEWARE THOUGH:
It’s good to be fair and clarify this last point. Photovoltaic systems produce a lot in the summer and little in the winter. A phenomenon that clearly diminishes in the sunniest regions. The convenience of using a PV system in winter is almost nil as there are very few sunny days.
The period of real convenience and savings lies in the mid-seasons when the heating systems are turned on because it starts to get cold and the PV produces enough electrical Kw to power it for most of the day and beyond. The trend is therefore quite outlined.
Then there are other forms of self-production, as previously indicated, and some even more performing depending on the place and type of installation. But most certainly the simplest system to date, and which absolutely requires practically no maintenance, is the Photovoltaic System.
THEREFORE CHOOSING AN ELECTRIC HEATING SYSTEM MEANS MAKING AN ECOLOGICAL CHOICE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING AN INITIAL SAVING ON CONSUMPTION, GIVEN BY THE USE OF SELF-PRODUCED KW. ESPECIALLY IN MID-SEASONS.
Good HABITS win the silver medal!
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.
As we have already said, there is also the degree of insulation of the house to be evaluated and, therefore, how quickly it loses heat.
The concept of speed in reaching surface heat with our Plyterm electric floor heating system, and the ability to alternate programmes even remotely by regulating the ambient temperature of each individual room is a winner, but be careful: this real method of saving is always directly proportional to the energy class of the house.
SO MAKING A SUITABLE AND PERSONALIZED PROGRAMME FOR EACH SINGLE ROOM WITH INTELLIGENT THERMOSTATS AND A QUICKLY RESPONDING SYSTEM, IS IMPORTANT. BUT BEWARE: AS THE ENERGY CLASS IS LOWERED, THE SAVINGS IN TERMS OF THERMAL KW ARE REDUCED, UNTIL THEY ARE CANCELLED IN THE LAST ENERGY CLASSES (F and G).
Maintenance costs are not to be underestimated.
Not even OCCUPIED SPACES!
Internal systems Gas hybrid Heat Pump + Special Room + External Machine
Plyterm electric heating system
Electric floor heating systems have no maintenance cost.
For gas boilers (even condensing ones), the cost for boiler maintenance depends on certain factors such as the region and the company in charge, but the average figure (excluding testing for polluting emissions) is between Euro 50 and 100. For fume control, on the other hand, the expense to be taken into account is just over Euro 100. Failure to maintain the boiler is punishable by a fine.
Pellet stoves and fireplaces, for the former the average ordinary maintenance cost is around Euro 200 (Euro 400 for extraordinary maintenance with cleaning of the pan, duct, flue). While the average price to completely clean the flue of a fireplace is around €150. This figure may vary according to the dimensions of the flue and the difficulty of the intervention.
Heat pumps being more complex machines have a maintenance cost of between Euro 150 and 300 per year depending on the power of the machine (we are talking about a home. Non-industrial). Many companies offer a 5-year maintenance package at the time of purchase.
THEREFORE FOR “MAINTENANCE COSTS” IT IS CLEAR THAT ELECTRIC FLOOR HEATING IS THE MOST CONVENIENT.
FOR SIZES … JUST LOOK AT THE PHOTOS. YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT.
Different situations, real cases and Conclusions
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:
- 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.
According to the results obtained, two things immediately stand out:
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.
Think simple…
There remains a factor no longer considered for some time, but which hides a truth:
SIMPLICITY.
In the long run everything that is simple to understand and manage has always given greater results in terms of costs, well-being and, last but not least, serenity!
We are not saying anything new by stating that the more complex a system is, the more it has critical points. And the more critical points there are, the higher the chances that something doesn’t work.
So, the more complicated a system is, the greater the possibility of malfunctions.
Each breakdown creates anxiety and discontent, as well as costs and the need to call strangers into the house.
The PLYTERM system is mainly made up of:
– A heating element, the module (as simple as a light bulb) that cannot fail.
– A control element (chrono-thermostat) which, if it breaks down, anyone can buy and replace, avoiding costly specialized interventions.
– A simple power relay
STOP.
Knowing your home, and being able to manage it directly, gives you peace of mind!!
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