Hea­ting wi­t­hout gas or oil – with wood or a heat pump

Ef­fi­ci­ent hea­ting is good for the en­vi­ron­ment and for your wal­let. But which hea­ting tech­no­lo­gy should you choo­se, what do you have to look out for du­ring plan­ning and how do you get sub­si­dies or cli­ma­te bo­nu­ses?

Away from gas or oil! That’s what many property owners want at the moment. They all ask themselves the same questions – and answering them is not always easy. To shed some light on the subject, the editorial team asked Marco Bichsel, Marketing Manager Domestic at Schmid AG, energy solutions. The Eschlik-based company supplies installers from the region, advises builders and property owners, and produces and sells both wood and heat pump heating systems.

Mr. Bich­sel, what are the ba­sic rea­sons for re­no­vat­ing a hea­ting sys­tem?

Marco Bichsel: “First and foremost is greater efficiency, i.e. lower heating costs. But also more environmental friendliness thanks to lower emissions, CO2 neutrality, greater reliability and, last but not least, legal regulations that oblige people to switch to more environmentally friendly technologies when replacing old night storage and oil heating systems are the main drivers of the current development.”

Schmid AG has been developing and producing wood heating systems since 1936. What advantages does wood offer as an energy source?

“Firstly, wood is a locally available energy source, which provides a high level of supply security and good price stability. Secondly, wood is CO2-neutral, sustainable and particularly climate-friendly. Thirdly, modern wood heating systems work very cleanly and efficiently, regardless of whether they are fueled with pellets, wood chips or logs. Fourthly, wood heating systems are almost infinitely scalable. They are therefore suitable for single-family homes as well as multi-family homes, agricultural/forestry operations and commercial/public enterprises. For example, we supplied the biomass boiler technology for a plant at the Nippon Steel Company, which has an output of 3.2 megawatts. By comparison, a pellet heating system for a single-family home has an output of around 15 to 50 kW.”

Schmid AG has also been sel­ling heat pumps from the ma­nu­fac­tu­rer Nibe for two ye­ars. What are the cur­rent ar­gu­ments in fa­vor of heat pump hea­ting?

“Air/water heat pumps in particular are quick and easy to install – and are basically the only sensible option for buildings that do not have Stack , for example because they were planned for night storage heating. Solutions with a geothermal probe heat pump are more expensive, but also more efficient at low outside temperatures. Depending on the accessibility, location, size and heating type – radiators or underfloor heating – of the property, one or the other is the better option. Heat pumps are also low-maintenance, durable, quiet and cheap to run – as long as the electricity prices are right.”

You just men­tio­ned the Stack in the house: What other re­qui­re­ments must be met for a wood pel­let hea­ting sys­tem?

“A dry storage room or silo is needed for the pellet store – as close as possible to the access road for the pellet delivery truck, at least 4^{m2 in} size and no further than 25 meters from the heating room, which must be at least 6^{m2 in} size. Sounds complicated, perhaps – but usually the existing oil tank room meets all the criteria for a pellet store. It is also important that the Stack is insensitive to moisture – thanks to chrome steel or ceramic inner pipe.

It also makes sense in most cases to have a buffer storage tank and depending on the boiler design and its size, an energy storage system is also necessary.”

What to look for in wood hea­ting and its tech­no­lo­gy and equip­ment?

“On good quality and modern, durable technology, as well as optimal suitability for the individual requirements and conditions of the corresponding building.

This absolutely requires serious advice and knowledge of the current systems. Today’s pellet heating systems are versatile. Thanks to intelligent heating circuit management, they are suitable for several heating circuits, are available with solar thermal function, can partly also utilize moist fuels and much more. In addition, they can be combined with each other. For example, the pellet heating system automatically takes over when the log heating system has not been refilled – and also automatically shuts down again as soon as the log heating system has been refilled. This means that heat is always guaranteed – even if it’s vacation time or refilling was not possible or was simply forgotten.”

What is im­portant for a heat pump?

“Here, too, quality, modern technology, reliability and correct calculation of output are the top priorities. Also very important is intelligent control, because only in this way can achieve maximum efficiency. Ideally, heat pumps are combined with floor heating systems. Radiator heating systems require higher flow temperatures – and this is where many heat pumps, especially air/water variants, reach their limits. In addition, depending on the installation site, it is important that the heat pump is very quiet. Otherwise, there may be problems due to noise emissions.”

That sounds com­plex. How can lay­peop­le find the right so­lu­ti­on in such a wide ran­ge?

“Only on the basis of competent advice from an experienced, reputable installer, from us as a neutral manufacturer, and from specialized institutions such as the cantonal energy consulting service.

It’s good to know that we have both wood heating systems and heat pumps on display in our showroom. This allows people to get a live impression – and see, among other things, how compact modern wood pellet and log heating systems, as well as heat pumps, are designed.

One thing is clear: every new building and every heating system renovation requires comprehensive, individually tailored planning. A heating system is cost-intensive and is operated for many years. This means years of accumulating additional costs with poor efficiency – and years of increasing savings with optimal efficiency. Therefore, it always pays to invest enough time in planning and calculating the heating system and to get the right partners on board.”

Speaking of costs: The re­pla­ce­ment of a hea­ting sys­tem is sup­por­ted with sub­si­dies. How do you find out how much fun­ding you are en­t­it­led to – and how do you ap­p­ly for it?

“Subsidies are generally available when a gas or oil heating system is replaced with wood heating or a heat pump. However, there are pitfalls that you have to be aware of. For example, the canton of Thurgau calculates the subsidy for heating system replacement differently than Energie Zukunft Schweiz. In addition, Energie Zukunft Schweiz also subsidizes heating systems in non-residential areas, such as office or administrative buildings. This means that it is imperative to compare exactly where you will receive how much money. In addition, the application must be submitted correctly and in good time – before the heating system is ordered or even installed.

Ultimately, the same applies here: Laypersons are dependent on competent, neutral advice from installers, suppliers and manufacturers – and should also inform themselves on the relevant Internet portals of the Thurgau Energy Advisory Service, the Cantonal Energy Department and institutions such as Energie Zukunft Schweiz and read up on the subject. In this way, a well-founded decision can be made as to which type of heating – wood or heat pump – is most suitable for the respective new building, conversion or renovation project.
is best suited for the respective new construction, conversion or renovation project, how much power it must have and which features are necessary.” Jörg Rothweiler

More in­for­ma­ti­on

can be obtained from regional heating installers, from Schmid AG, energy solutions (www.schmid-energy.ch), from the cantonal energy department (www.energie.tg.ch) and from the cantonal energy advice center (www.eteam-tg.ch).