MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - According to a study by RWTH Aachen University, the installation of a heat pump can pay for itself financially within 10 to 16 years. This was the result of calculations on behalf of the energy company Eon using exemplary houses from 2005, 1990 and 1980, which were presented in Munich on Friday. The investment and operating costs for a heat pump, including the demand, were compared with those for a new gas heating system.

Calculations for older houses were not initially available, but Eon assumes that the time span would then be somewhat longer. According to the calculations, however, it is quicker if the heat pump is combined with a photovoltaic system. According to the calculations, it then only takes 11 to 14 years for the advantage in operating costs to compensate for the higher initial investment.

For the heat pump, the study by RWTH Professor Dirk Müller assumed acquisition costs of around 18,000 euros after deduction of the claim, with photovoltaics costing an additional 11,000 euros. Installation costs of 15,000 euros were estimated for the gas heating system. However, the operating costs for the heat pump were significantly lower than for the gas heating. In the case of photovoltaics, they were even much lower.

The differences in profitability depended on the building and its use - i.e. how many people live in the house, among other things. This was based on buildings without underfloor heating, as Müller explained. With underfloor heating, the situation is more favorable for the heat pump. In principle, there is no building class for which a heat pump is out of the question.

Regarding the expected service life of heat pumps, Müller stated a value of at least 12 years. However, he emphasized that this did not mean that the devices would be broken after this time, but rather that they might have to be repaired or parts replaced, which would be much cheaper than a new installation. The calculations were also based on the prices of branded appliances, for which it could be assumed that spare parts would also be available in the future./ruc/DP/stk