Function, costs & power consumption at a glance

The air-to-air heat pump is considered a particularly inexpensive heating system. Here’s how it works and what it actually costs.

Heat pumps are currently on everyone’s lips. After all, they are considered a particularly efficient way of keeping your own four walls warm in winter. But not every heat pump system works the same way. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the function, costs and power consumption of an air-to-air heat pump.

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How does an air to air heat pump work?

In contrast to other heat pumps, the air-to-air heat pump does not require a refrigerant circuit to function. Instead of this fans suck in the outside air and direct it through a so-called plate heat exchanger inside the device. There it first absorbs the thermal energy of the air that is also sucked in from the interior, causing the latter to cool down at the same time.

Then the fresh outside air passed through a supply air reheater, to further increase the temperature there. Finally, a ventilation system distributes the heated fresh air in the building. The used air, which was previously in the interior, is conducted outside by the heat pump after its heat has been extracted.

To increase efficiency, some air-to-air heat pump systems also rely on one geothermal heat exchanger, which extracts the outside air in an underground shaft, the so-called air well, preheated and thus relieves the rest of the system.

How much does an air to air heat pump cost?

The air-to-air heat pump itself usually costs between 9,000 and 12,500 euros. However, there is also the ventilation system, which, depending on the building, usually costs around 7,500 to 9,500 euros. Together with the installation costs of around 3,000 euros, you can definitely come along Total costs of up to 25,000 euros calculate for the purchase. However, you do not have to bear these costs entirely yourself. Through grants from Federal funding for efficient buildings (BEG) the acquisition costs of the heat pump can effectively be reduced by 35 percent.

How much energy does an air-to-air heat pump use?

In general, the installation of this type of heat pump is only recommended in well-insulated buildings, since alternative heating systems are often more efficient otherwise. With an annual heating output of 10,000 kWh, the power consumption of the air-to-air heat pump is usually around 3,500 to 4,000 kWh.

Based on a regular electricity price of 38 cents per kWh, this would result in annual operating costs of around 1,300 to 1,500 euros. However, there are special electricity tariffs for heat pumps that are up to 30 percent cheaper than conventional household electricity. This amounts to actual electricity costs to around 1,000 euros per year.

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