The world of heating is constantly evolving. Newer technologies and increasingly better insulation materials mean that heating a home is no longer comparable to, say, 10 years ago.
Modern homes are so well insulated that the building structure requires virtually no thermal capacity to maintain a comfortable temperature. In a new-build home of 150m², a thermal capacity of 1.5 to 1.8 kW is usually sufficient.
Once the house is warm, the heating will hardly need to provide additional heat. This raises the question of whether it's still necessary to install an expensive heat pump to generate this low output. After all, the cost of heating a home comes not only from the required output but also from the purchase and maintenance of the heating source.
The ideal way to calculate the true cost of heating is to look at the TCO of this source over 25 years. When we calculate the TCO of a heat pump designed to heat a new-build home with an E-30 value or lower, we almost always arrive at a higher cost than heating the same home with a high-quality infrared heater.
A heat pump's energy consumption is indeed lower than that of infrared heating, but its purchase price is considerably higher. Moreover, a heat pump is subject to wear and tear and requires annual maintenance.
The compressor's lifespan is a maximum of 15 years, after which the compressor section must be replaced. The lifespan of a high-quality infrared heater is between 25 and 30 years. An infrared heater also has no annual maintenance costs, as it has no moving parts that are susceptible to wear and tear.
In a well-insulated home, it's almost impossible to recoup the investment cost of a heat pump compared to an infrared panel. Once the home is equipped with the necessary solar panels, it's immediately a foregone conclusion. This reduces the TCO of infrared heating so much below that of a heat pump that it's usually achieved by a factor of 2 to 2.5.
It's important to focus on high-quality infrared panels that have a long lifespan. It's best to consult a professional in this area.
