The BEG, launched by the Green Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, rests on three pillars - partial refurbishments, full renovations of existing buildings and the construction of new buildings - and runs from 28 July 2022 until the end of 2023. Under the reformed BEG, annual allocations of 13-14 billion will be possible, of which about 12-13 for renovations alone, almost triple the 5 billion of 2020.
Over the past year, 66,496 funding applications for heat pumps were submitted in Germany.
Heat pump technology: what you need to know before choosing
A heat pump is a machine capable of transferring thermal energy from a lower-temperature source to a higher-temperature one, or vice versa.
A heat pump absorbs 1 kW of electrical energy and releases up to 4 kW of thermal energy. By comparison, a traditional boiler has an efficiency of less than 1. The economic advantage is easily explained: 1 kWh of ordinary electricity costs €0.22, whereas 1 thermal kWh with a heat pump costs €0.063.
The air-to-water heat pump uses a renewable energy source, namely the heat present in the outside air, and, through a process that transfers heat from a colder fluid (outside air) to a warmer one (the water in the home heating system), produces heat without combustion.
Reversible heat pumps, moreover, make it possible to invert the operating cycle, and can therefore be used for heating in winter and for cooling in summer.
The advantages of heat pumps are summarised as follows by one of the major Italian manufacturers:
- Savings on bills and incentives
Besides savings on bills, choosing to switch to a heat pump system is an investment that pays for itself quickly, also thanks to the possibility of accessing incentives that provide tax deductions of 50% for building renovation, 65% for energy-saving work, and the Conto Termico.
- Useful for heating, cooling and producing hot water
The principle of the air-to-water heat pump is based on exploiting the heat present in the air, water or ground. This heat, through changes of state and compression cycles (similar to those of a refrigerator), is fed into the home system to provide heating in winter, cooling in the summer months and hot water production all year round.
The only energy used is the electricity needed to move air and refrigerant fluid.
No fuel is therefore used, other than any fuel involved in generating the electricity, which in Italy is 38% renewable (the average percentage for electricity in Italy). The environmental impact is eliminated when using energy from photovoltaic panels with a storage system.
This type of system changes the property’s energy rating, raising it by as many as two classes, with a consequent increase in the value of the property in which it is installed.
What to consider when buying a heat pump
When buying a heat pump, you need to choose the one best suited to your needs and to the requirements of your home.
The first thing, obviously, is to find out about models, features and the factors that affect annual consumption.
There are three main factors to consider:
- the characteristics of the building and the installation site
- the sizing of the heat pump
- the use of the heat pump in relation to climatic conditions
Characteristics of the building and installation site
Extremely important in choosing the right model. How much space do you have available? Is the system to be installed in a detached house or in a block of flats? The technician will be able to give you the answers.
In the case of a building renovation, if you have a roof available, you can consider with a technician installing a solar collector to help heat the water using sunlight.
In the case of a building with limited scope for intervention, you need to adapt your requirements to the layout of the property and the type of installation it supports.
Sizing of the heat pump
The size of the heat pump varies according to the square metres and condition of the property in which it will be installed.
To get a rough idea of the heat requirement, you can carry out a calculation that determines the amount of energy needed to heat a room. Here is the formula:
Heat requirement = heat pump output in kW = surface area to be heated in metres x specific heat requirement (kW/m²)
Let’s take an example.
For a building of 90 m² with a ceiling height of 2.70 m, the cubic metres can be calculated with this formula:
90 m² x 2.70 m = 243 m³
To find the recommended size of the heat pump, you need to multiply the volume of the house (243 m³) by the value of the specific heat requirement, which on average is set at 0.05 kW/m². This coefficient, however, varies according to the insulation of the property: clearly, the better insulated the house, the less output the heat pump will need and the lower the consumption throughout the year.
The heat pump in relation to climatic conditions
A third factor to consider before buying a heat pump concerns the day-to-day use of the appliance in relation to the climatic conditions in which you live.
First of all, what use do you intend to make of the system? Do you need only the heating function or cooling as well? Do you want to heat domestic hot water?
And then, what area do you live in? Is the climate damp and cold for several months of the year, or is it drier?
Assessing these variables together with a specialised and reliable technician will be essential to avoid mistakes and to bring home the heat pump best suited to your home environment.
Tax bonuses
Remember that, from a tax point of view, in Italy we can take advantage of the 2023 heat pump bonus to obtain a 50% relief and, depending on whether the work replaces an old system or is part of another refurbishment project, a deduction of between 65% and 110%. The deadlines run up to 31 December 2024 but are much shorter for the superbonus: 31 December 2022.
We will keep you updated on the procedures in forthcoming articles.
