Town And Country Heating And Air

Analysis : Oil, natural gas, electric and co.: Heating is becoming more complicated in rural areas

Photo: obs/Andrey Popov Electric, oil, gas, solar, heat pump: technical solutions for a warm home are plentiful, and so is the agony of choice. How will rural areas be heated in the future? An analysis. Due to economic upheavals in the wake of the Corona crisis, energy prices are already skyrocketing: gasoline, diesel, heating oil, gas are all getting more expensive. And that’s not the end of the story, because an appropriate tax policy is also intended to make climate-damaging energy sources increasingly unattractive in the long term, so that citizens switch to CO₂-neutral energy sources. Oil heating systems widespread What does this mean for rural areas? Here in particular, oil-fired heating systems are widespread because they are not dependent on an existing pipeline network. But oil heating systems in particular are to be phased out gradually. From 2026, the installation of new oil heating systems will generally no longer be permitted. The German government’s climate protection package provides for exceptions, but for all home builders and those who want to renew their heating anyway, the question arises as to what can be used for heating in the future. Consider the energy status In general, it is clear that the energy status of the house and its connection options play an important role. CO₂-neutral systems such as air-source or ground-source heat pumps have now reached maturity and are used in many new construction areas. They only require a power connection. Photovoltaics are also being further developed, provided that the roof area of the house permits this. But an energetic “classic” is also being used more and more in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district. The municipal utility company Stadtwerke Trier operates a pipeline network there. As spokesman Carsten Grasmück explains, Wittlich, Wengerohr, Bombogen and Neuerburg have been tapped with natural gas for many years. Bernkastel, Wehlen and Zeltingen-Rachtig have also been developed with natural gas infrastructure in recent years. Gas network expanded And the network has even been expanded: “Starting this winter, the first residents in Traben-Trarbach will be heating with natural gas. There, the city concluded a concession agreement with us at the end of 2018, thus creating the prerequisite for the new development of the Moselle village. The new pipeline not only offers local people an attractive alternative to classic heating oil, but also a way to avoid environmental damage from oil tanks during floods,” explains Grasmück. New network for Traben-Trarbach The construction work was carried out in coordination with the Traben-Trarbach municipal works, which also built a water supply line as part of the project. Grasmück: “In total, we supply around 4800 properties in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district with natural gas.” And the gas is even environmentally compatible, because since mid-2020, the municipal utility has been producing bio natural gas with a biogas processing plant at the airfield in Bitburg. But Grasmück also admits, “Nevertheless, we are currently faced with the question of what the ‘heating of the future’ will look like.” While energy sources are becoming scarce and expensive, he says, it is becoming apparent that buildings are becoming better insulated. In some cases, they even manage without external energy. Against this backdrop, however, it also means that gas supply in rural areas will not be pushed further. Grasmück: “Against this background, the establishment of a nationwide natural gas supply would not make sense from our point of view. Instead, it is important to find suitable local solutions that best meet the requirements of economic efficiency and climate protection, depending on the building structure and energy needs.” Grasmück points to other diverse approaches to solutions: From classic condensing boiler heating with (bio)natural gas to heat pumps and heating networks. Renaissance of electric heating But direct heating with electrical energy is also experiencing a renaissance. The old night storage systems of the 1960s are now history; they were considered inefficient and were replaced by central heating as early as the 1970s. In the meantime, however, there are new electric heating systems that take up little space and are more efficient. Architect Dirk Schneider from Kastellaun is currently planning the core renovation of the old hospital in Traben-Trarbach, which is being converted into a multi-party residential building. The design calls for flat electric heaters that will be installed on the walls like normal radiators. “We’re building a very well-insulated house there, where there’s not much need for heating anyway. Electric heating is sufficient there, especially since you can no longer rely on oil in a new building,” Schneider says. Although the energy source is relatively expensive, the good insulation means that little energy is needed, so that this in turn is balanced out. “With good insulation, the whole thing is put into perspective again,” Schneider says. No patent remedy It turns out that there will be no patent remedy for heating problems in the future, even in rural areas. In regions connected to the natural gas network, gas boilers and condensing boilers will continue to be sensible heating systems. In any case, it is worthwhile to check the energetics of the house in the case of new buildings, because different heating systems are available depending on the thermal insulation value. Even in the countryside, where there is no nationwide gas network like in the city, there will be no need to hibernate in cold houses in the future. But in the future, no owner will be able to avoid taking a close look at the available heating systems in order to find the right concept for his or her individual situation. And last but not least, there is still the good old fireplace heating system, which is far from being obsolete – as long as the stove meets the new emission requirements and sufficient firewood is available.

Exterior and interior photos of the new Gothaer Strasse building project Construction project: Gothaer Straße / Alte Hellersdorfer Straße Ready for occupancy: expected in the 2nd quarter of 2023.

Location description

Newly built apartments in the green Hellersdorf – perfect for seniors and attractive for families In Hellersdorf you live in the green and enjoy nevertheless urban flair with numerous shopping facilitiesleisure facilities and doctors. Thus invite various parking areas such as the Liberty Park or the famous Gardens of the World in the neighboring Marzahn invite you to linger. A diverse selection of specialty stores, cafés and other leisure activities await in Bright Center and the Eiche Shopping Park await you. Due to the good traffic connections and the quick accessibility of shopping facilities, this district is an attractive place to live for senior citizens. Gothaer Street / Old Hellersdorfer Street

Location Residential area

Well connected to public transportation, 154 new apartments are being built in Gothaer Strasse / Alte Hellersdorfer Strasse. apartmentswhich are tailored to the needs of senior citizens the needs of senior citizens. These apartments will be built in the modern TYPENHAUS PLUS (Opens in a new tab) construction method. The 1-3 room apartments are distributed over the first floor and other 5 floors. In addition, all apartments have a balcony or terrace. All apartments are accessible by elevator and are mostly barrier-free. This makes independent living within one’s own four walls possible even if mobility is more limited. In addition, our subsidiary, SOPHIA (Opens in a new tab), offers further services for independent living in old age. The meeting roomincluding a spacious outdoor terraceon the first floor promotes the social gathering of the residents and is excellent for joint gatherings. In addition, SOPHIA (Opens in a new tab) offers organized afternoon cafés and other activities for Gothaer Strasse residents. The sophisticatedly designed outdoor spaces are optimal for spending time alone or in company. A newly built playground with sports equipment for young and old provides more exercise in the fresh air. In the immediate vicinity are 2 supermarkets and the bus stop: Gothaer Straße / Alte Hellersdorfer Str. (bus 195 and 197).. By bus you can reach the Shopping Park Eiche with numerous shopping and leisure facilities is only approx. 10 minutes away. The nearest streetcar stop (Streetcar 18 and M6) is within 5 minutes walking distance. Also the subway station Cottbuser Platz is only a few minutes away by bus and leads via the line U5 line to the city center. Half of the apartments are financed with subsidies from the State of Berlin. These apartments will be rented for the first time at 6.50 €/m² and 6.70 €/m², 8.20 €/m² net cold. The prerequisite for renting these apartments is a valid certificate of eligibility for housing.

Apartments at a glance

Total number of apartments: 154 + 1 meeting room of which publicly subsidized with WBS (Wohnberechtigungsschein obligation): 77

Number of rooms	Number of apartments	Apartment sizes
1 room	39, thereof 36 with WBS	ca.37,49 m²
2 rooms	65, thereof 41 with WBS	approx. 47.60 m² – 61.01 m²
3 rooms	50, thereof 0 with WBS	approx. 71.76 m² – 77.43 m²

The aforementioned data regarding the apartment sizes serve as orientation. Deviations are possible.

Exemplary floor plans of Gothaer Straße

General equipment:

Elevators over all floors
Heating/hot water: district heating
104 barrier-free apartments
Rollator rooms in the basement
Tenant cellar for each apartment
Additional bicycle rooms in the basement, accessible by elevator
Bicycle racks near the entrance
Ground level entrance
58 parking spaces

Equipment of the apartments:

50 apartments with bathtub
104 apartments with shower at ground level
All apartments on the ground floor with terrace
All apartments with balcony or terrace
Storage room inside the apartment
Underfloor heating
Vinyl flooring in wood look with white skirting boards
Open kitchens
Lockable window fittings on the first floor
Roller shutters on the windows in first floor apartments

For apartment hunters

We will be happy to take your contact details so that we can inform you in good time about the start of leasing. Please use the form below for this purpose. As a precaution, we would like to point out that your registration is for information purposes only and that no claim to an apartment rental can be derived from it. Which heating system suits your house? We give you an overview of the most common heating systems and tell you what the advantages and disadvantages are. The most important facts in brief:

Plan a heating replacement early, before your heating breaks down!
Environmentally friendly heating with renewable energies: The switch often pays off quickly thanks to attractive subsidy programs.
The CO2 tax and increased fuel prices make heating with fossil fuels significantly more expensive every year.

On Are you planning a new building or renovation? You can choose between a variety of heating systems. These differ not only in the energy source, but also in the technology used, their efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. We present the most common types of heating and offer you an initial orientation in the heating jungle. To evaluate your heating energy consumption in advance, you can use the Heizspiegel. This shows you the consumption and the associated costs based on the living space and the heating system for 2022 in Germany. If you end up in the red in terms of consumption or costs, this may be due to the state of renovation of your building. If it is possible for you to change something about the building, major renovations can make sense. Alternatively, you have the option of reducing your energy requirements by adjusting your heating behavior.

New heating: Thinking about the future

Make a future-oriented decision: plan your heating replacement early and carefully, because it is usually a decision for the next 20 years! Be sure to take into account additional factors, such as legal requirements or renovation projects. Consider how you can use alternative heating systems such as a heat pump, connection to a heating network, pellet heating or solar thermal system can be implemented in your individual situation. They not only have a positive effect on your own wallet, but also on the climate. There are also so-called hybrid heating systems, in which several heat generators are combined if you do not yet want to switch completely to renewable systems. Get advice here from an independent specialist. It will help with an accurate assessment and planning in your individual case.

Heat pump – using heat from the earth, air and water

Heat pumps are a good alternative when changing over and are also worthwhile in existing buildings, especially if they have been well renovated and have large heating surfaces (e.g. underfloor heating). Here, low heating water temperatures are required – the heat pump has to work less and is therefore more efficient. A heat pump must be well planned: Too skimpy or poor planning leads to increased use of the electric heater, which then has to iron out these mistakes. As a result, electricity consumption and costs may turn out to be much higher than planned. A heat pump that is designed too large is also unfavorable in operation.

Heat pumps need electricity

Heat pumps run on electricity – all the time. Therefore, you should make sure that the heat pump runs efficiently and has a high annual performance factor is achieved. This describes the ratio between the electricity required and the heat generated. With an annual performance factor of 4, for example, four parts of heat are generated from one part of electricity. In addition, a special electricity tariff can be selected for heat pumps. Optimal: If you have a photovoltaic system, you can also operate your electric heat pump temporarily with self-generated electricity. At first glance, heat pumps are more expensive in terms of overall investment than conventional heating boilers if heat sources such as geothermal heat or water are to be tapped. In new buildings, however, you can avoid additional costs such as laying a gas connection or building a chimney – there is also no need for regular chimney sweep visits. If the heat pump is operated efficiently, the most favorable heating costs compensate for the investment at the time of purchase.

Heat pump as hybrid heating

Those who cannot yet switch completely to renewable energies can choose a hybrid solution – for example, consisting of a heat pump and a condensing boiler. Such combinations are offered as compact hybrid heaters. One advantage of hybrids is that all components are matched to each other. The system can be connected like a conventional heating system, and the control system is optimized for efficient interaction between the two heating devices. The major disadvantage is that they remain dependent on fossil fuels and the associated price increases. In poorly renovated buildings, where a heat pump is not yet efficient enough, it is therefore advisable to consider thermal insulation and other measures. Detailed information on the function, purchase and requirements of heat pumps can be found in our article “Heating with a heat pump is climate-friendly – if the conditions are right”.

Condensing boilers – the efficient heating boiler

Condensing boilers are a classic heating technology – the best known are oil or gas boilers. However, condensing technology is also used in pellet heating systems, for example. Heating with fossil fuels is becoming increasingly expensive due to the current rise in fuel prices and the annual increase in the CO2 tax. At best, you should also inform yourself about supporting and alternative heating technologies such as a solar thermal system, pellet stoves or heat pumps. A combination of fossil and renewable energy sources is possible, but in the future it must be ensured that at least 65% renewable energy is used.

In the future, only systems that use at least 65% renewable energy will be subsidized.

Solar thermal: Solar system for hot water and heating

Use solar energy for electricity and heat? It’s possible: While you install a photovoltaic system to generate electricity, you need a solar thermal system to generate heat generation a solar thermal system. You can use this for hot water heating and also for heating support, if it is sufficiently large. Since solar energy is not available evenly throughout the year, solar thermal systems are often combined with another heat generator. So far, this has often been done in combination with gas or oil condensing boilers, but the combination can also make sense with a pellet boiler or a heat pump.

Solar thermal can be combined well with a pellet boiler or heat pump

When planning and dimensioning of a solar thermal system, you should consider all components: the solar collectors on the roof, the solar station with control, and the storage tank for the hot water. For example, the yield of a solar system depends on the area, orientation and inclination of the collectors. For efficient use of the brine heating system, it should be planned for the actual hot water or heating demand, which depends on the number of people in your household as well as the living area of the building. The offer is aimed at renters of all generations. Around 40 percent of the new apartments are being built as subsidized housing with a net monthly rent of 6.50 euros per square meter. This creates the basic prerequisite for a lively neighborhood with a balanced social and intergenerational mix. Together with the Governing Mayor Michael Müller, the District Mayor of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Dagmar Pohle, STADT UND LAND Managing Director Ingo Malter, and Vincent L. M. Mulder, Managing Director of the construction company Kondor Wessels Wohnen Berlin, are today visiting the site on the former Biesdorf estate. Around 1,000 people will soon be living in the neighborhood. In addition to smaller apartment buildings with three floors, larger apartment buildings with up to five floors will be built. The apartments will have 1 to 5 rooms and terraces or balconies; the ground-floor apartments will have tenant gardens. In order to meet a wide range of demands, 172 apartments are planned to be barrier-free and 5 wheelchair-accessible. The apartments were designed with open or closed kitchens, the bathrooms as shower or tub bathrooms. For cars, 109 underground parking spaces and 159 outdoor parking spaces are provided. Locked bicycle rooms are also available. A central neighborhood square and other open spaces are part of the development. The historic existing buildings from the 19th century give the quarter an additional special identity. By the end of 2021, the former cowshed on the village square and the former horse stable on Alt-Biesdorf Street, including the warehouse, will be renovated. Among others, a physiotherapy practice and a district meeting center of the district will rent premises in these buildings. The structural design for the future Alt-Biesdorf estate was created by ioo Elwardt+Lattermann, Gesellschaft von Architekten. The planning of the green spaces is by landscape architects Simons & Hinze. Playgrounds and recreational areas will be created on the central, car-free neighborhood square, and additional playgrounds will be built within the estate. The high quality of stay will contribute significantly to promoting the togetherness of all generations in the neighborhood. The new residential quarter will have its own combined heat and power plant to provide heating and hot water. It will be powered by cogeneration using natural gas as the energy source. Michael Müller, governing mayor of Berlin, explains on the occasion of the construction site tour: “This emerging neighborhood exemplifies the qualities and advantages that residential locations outside the city center can offer. Here, urgently needed affordable housing is made possible, which at the same time provides thoroughly thought-out, suitable offers for the different generations and enables people to have a real home and to live together. This confirms us as the state government in our course of involving the state-owned housing companies more strongly in new construction in order to further advance socially acceptable and public welfare-oriented housing in our city. STADT UND LAND has shown groundbreaking thinking and planning here.” Dagmar Pohle, district mayor of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, is enthusiastic about the progress on the new construction project: “I am pleased that STADT UND LAND is once again realizing a new building project in our district and that young and old will soon be living and living together here. The quarter makes Marzahn-Hellersdorf even greener and more modern and at the same time integrates the history of the old estate. The fact that the location is well connected in terms of transport and urban development will additionally contribute to the attractiveness of this quarter. STADT UND LAND’s commitment to anchoring the district center in this historic neighborhood is also particularly noteworthy.” Ingo Malter, managing director of STADT UND LAND, said: “When Marzahn-Hellersdorf is mentioned, some Berliners from other districts still think mainly of large housing estates in GDR design. That the district is much more diverse is shown, among other things, by this new residential area on the estate in Alt-Biesdorf. The project was an urban development challenge that we were very pleased to realize, because in addition to our mandate of providing housing for Berlin, we are also giving new life to a historic site here. The gap in the historic townscape of Alt-Biesdorf was closed, and the three listed buildings on the site were carefully refurbished and embedded in the new development. By the end of the year, the first of the approximately 1,000 new tenants will be able to move into their apartments. We look forward to welcoming them.” Vincent L. M. Mulder, managing director of Kondor Wessels Wohnen Berlin GmbH, emphasizes the good cooperation between public and private companies: “We can look back on years of very constructive and trusting cooperation with STADT UND LAND and greatly appreciate this continuity. This construction project was also realized within the set time and cost framework, for which I would like to expressly thank all the experts involved in the construction.” STADT UND LAND already rents out around 17,000 apartments in the district, in which around 32,000 tenants live, and is continuously expanding this portfolio. Currently, 8 new construction projects with 1,955 apartments are under construction planning and implementation here.

About STADT UND LAND

STADT UND LAND Wohnbauten-Gesellschaft mbH is one of Berlin’s major municipal housing companies, with more than 49,000 of its own apartments, over 800 commercial properties and almost 9,900 rental units managed for third parties, mainly in Neukölln, Treptow-Köpenick, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Marzahn-Hellersdorf, as well as in Brandenburg. The portfolio is to grow to a total of 55,500 apartments by 2026 through new construction and purchases. Around 1,800 apartments are currently under construction. Concrete projects with over 3,300 new apartments and a start of construction from 2021 are in the planning stage. STADT UND LAND also continuously invests in the refurbishment and modernization of its portfolios and supports numerous social projects and initiatives to strengthen neighborhoods.

About Kondor Wessels

Kondor Wessels has over 25 years of experience in the development, planning and construction of residential, care and office properties. In all projects, we act as a partner for the entire construction process and provide the entire value chain from a single source. Findings from our own quality management are continuously incorporated into new projects. Our aim is to complete every project cost-effectively, on time and to the required quality. With around 350 employees in our construction teams, we are currently managing 38 real estate projects with a total volume of more than 700 million euros in Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Frankfurt am Main. Town And Country Heating And Air.

Anna Hein

Town And Country Heating And Air