Air/water heat pump in historic building

The unique location in Thurnau directly by the lake with a view over the historic castle, enough space for the family and plenty of potential to realize their own dream home. These were the reasons that persuaded Andreas Stark and his wife to buy their house in 2015, even though the building, whose origins date back to the 1500s, was not exactly in good condition. It had been over 50 years since it was last modernized, and the energy performance certificate certified the worst standard, class H. The Stark family took up the challenge and transformed the ageing property into a real gem over the years with a great deal of personal effort, vision and commitment. The house was drained and gutted. The roof was renewed, new windows installed and the floor slab insulated. The heat loss on the upper floor was reduced by building a double-shell masonry with insulation filling. On the ground floor, no wall insulation was installed due to the old, damp sandstone walls.

The heating system was also significantly optimized. Owner Andreas Stark, himself a trained heating engineer, retrofitted underfloor heating on all three floors. A wood-burning stove was also installed on the first floor to cover peak loads, as the underfloor heating reaches its limits there on very cold days. After moving in, the family initially kept the old oil heating system, which only used a third of the heating oil thanks to the modernization measures.

THE IDEAL HEAT PUMP FOR THE BUILDING

In the meantime, the Hybrox 11 air/water heat pump from alpha innotec has replaced the oil heating system. "I had been planning to install a heat pump for some time, but the perfect appliance for our house didn't yet exist," says Andreas Stark. "The new Hybrox has changed all that." The compact dimensions of the outdoor unit and the appealing design also convinced him. He chose a special solution for the installation. "Compared to other appliances in this power range, the Hybrox 11 is already remarkably small. Other manufacturers are already working with two-storey units here. We wanted the heat pump to be as unobtrusive as possible from our terrace. That's why I created a custom foundation with cut-outs for the supply lines so that I could place the heat pump directly on top. The manufacturer recommends elevated installation on the floor console so that snow doesn't interfere with the appliance in winter, for example. But this way we have a clear view, I just have to make sure myself that snow, leaves and dirt don't get into the appliance."

QUIET OPERATION FOR GOOD NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS

The quiet operation of the appliance also made a positive impression: "The heat pump faces directly towards the neighbors, and their house is not far away either. We had slight concerns during the planning stage as to whether this could lead to problems, especially with the higher heating load of the heat pump compared to new buildings. But the Hybrox is very quiet even when it's in full operation. I asked just to be on the safe side, but the neighbors don't feel disturbed at all. They hadn't even noticed that the appliance was already in operation."

MODERN OPERATION

By connecting the indoor unit to the internet, the Stark family can now also access the heat pump via smartphone and tablet. This is particularly convenient with the new myUplink platform and the associated app. Andreas Stark: "myUplink is really practical. I don't have to run out and down to the vaulted cellar every time to see what the heat pump is doing or to change settings. I can use the dashboard in the app to clearly display exactly the values and settings I'm interested in."

COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH THE HYBROX

Overall, the Stark family is very happy in their new home: "Even though it was a lot of work, all the renovation work was worth it. And with the new heat pump, we have now reached another milestone and made the old building fit for the future."