Heat pump costs

More and more people choose to use a so-called heat pump. A heat pump is a system that converts energy from the air or the ground into heat. This heat can then be used to heat up your house, but it can also be used to heat up the water. Are you also planning to invest in a heat pump, but would you first like to have a clear picture of the average efficiency as well as the average cost? In that case you have come to the right place!

How a heat pump works

The installation of a heat pump requires a wide range of work. Several large holes and trenches have to be dug, which is an expensive thing to do. This drilling should not be underestimated. Depending on the type of soil, up to hundreds of foots can be dug in order to achieve the right yield. Each soil layer also produces different yields, which means that the soil composition must be known in advance. Drilling too deep would cause unnecessary costs, while drilling too shallow result in too little yield, making the heat pump inefficient.

Required licenses and permits

Attention! When you choose to install a heat pump it’s very important to remember that not every company can just do this. A specialized company will always have certain licenses and permits.

How much does a heat pump cost?

When you want to get a good idea of the average costs for a heat pump, you can assume a price of about 30 dollars for every meter that needs to be drilled. In other words, if you need to drill 984 foot deep, the average cost is around 8,175 dollars. Note, this price includes things such as a distributor, hoses and so on.

The price above is only for drilling the holes. This isn’t the only thing that has to be done wen you want to heat your house and water with a heat pump, on the contrary. A heat pump was simply unaffordable for many people in the past and even today, buying such a system remains fairly expensive. The heat pump itself will cost about 7,650 dollars. If you this to the underground pipes and the installation, the total cost can quickly reach between 13,625 & 16,350 dollars.

Comparing costs and yields of heat pump versus central heating boiler

Do you have an standard central heating boiler and you don’t understand why you should switch to a heat pump? Would you like to have a concrete example of the price difference between the two systems? That’s possible! We’ve provided an example for you.

Central heating boiler

Heat pump

It shows that the heat pump (due to depreciation) is more expensive than the boiler. The maintenance required as well as the energy costs are considerably lower for a heat pump. However, such an investment compared to the boiler is not very interesting at first sight. But there’s more to it.

It doesn’t take into account the future increase in energy prices, which is coming anyway. Add to this the higher efficiency in terms of temperature heating as well as the power consumption of the boiler itself and you’ll notice that the heat pump is indeed a very sustainable and financially interesting investment.

Different types of heat pumps

Finally, the price you have to pay for a heat pump system depends very much on the type of system you have chosen. We distinguish four different possibilities in this respect, namely:

Horizontally closed system

The first system is closed horizontally. With this system, a network of pipes is placed in the garden at a depth of about 3 to 7 foot over an area that is about three times the area of your house. In other words, if you have a house with a surface area of about 1076 square feet, you will need at least 3229 square feet of garden. The exact size is based on the depth and type of soil. Do you choose to use a horizontally closed system heat pump? In that case it’ll cost between 19.100 & 21.800 dollars.

Vertically closed system

The vertically closed system is the most frequently used system. This has everything to do with the fact that it has a higher efficiency. They drill one or more tubes into the ground at great depths. The temperature at this depth is usually about 12 degrees and is actually quite constant. Please note that if you have a dry sandy soil, it is possible that the soil cools down a little by pumping liquids around. As a result, the efficiency will be somewhat lower every year. That’s why you should keep pumping during summer. This allows the soil around the pipes to heat up again. A system like this will cost between 14,200 & 17,000 dollar.

Open system

You need to drill, even with a heat pump with open system. But this time there’s no liquid flowing through the closed pipe system, as groundwater is pumped up directly. This groundwater is warmer than the liquid in a closed system. This ensures that the efficiency increases considerably. A complete system will cost about 21,800 dollars. In addition, you will have to pay extra for the cleaning of the system every year.

Air system

The fourth and last possibility is a so-called air system. A fan is used to supply heat from the outside air. This is the cheapest heat pump system on the market, especially since hardly any drilling is required. The heat pump can also be used as an air conditioning unit during the summer. Please note that the fan may cause some noise pollution in this case. An air system heat pump costs between 5,450 & 11,000 dollars.

All in all, a heat pump is a very expensive affair, but it can certainly be recouped in the long run.

Compare offers and save money

As a first step, we advise you to compare several quotations. This is because prices vary considerably from one installation company to another. Luckily you can use our website to request up to 6 quotations from various local specialists. Click on the button below and leave your details. Receive the quotes in your mailbox and start comparing. This way you can save up to 30% on costs!