Heat pump causes electricity costs of 2,000 euros

PASSAU. Shock for the Passau CSU city councilor Rosemarie Weber: she had to pay 2,000 euros in electricity costs for her heat pump, which was only installed at the end of November for her old building. “As much as we otherwise consume in the whole year,” she said Passau New Press. The local politicians commented: “That’s an amount that many families in the region have to live on for a month.”

Weber had the heat pump adjusted by the heating company. The apartment then remained “unbearably cold”. “At 17 degrees, it was ultimately unbearable. We wrapped ourselves in blankets.” She only showered early in the morning and in the evening – when there was hot water. According to the lawyer, electricity consumption is still high in spring, as the newspaper reported. After weeks of freezing, she and her husband finally put the gas heater back into operation. “Thank God we didn’t have them removed.”

Half of the buildings are unsuitable for heat pumps

According to Weber, in order to be able to operate a heat pump sensibly, you also have to replace the windows, insulate the house and finally replaster it. “What an incredibly large investment that is for a house that’s going to house an entire family,” she remarked. The costs are “ultimately unaffordable”. A heat pump is only worthwhile for new buildings with controlled ventilation and perfect insulation.

According to a study by the Research Institute for Thermal Insulation Munich (FIW Munich) and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU), only 9.25 million residential buildings in Germany are suitable for installing a heat pump. In 52 percent of the portfolio, these worked much more inefficiently. (approx)