2023-05-07 03:09:00
Robert Habeck would like to rely on heat pumps in the future. But experts are critical of the quick farewell to oil and gas heating.
Kassel – Habeck’s heating law has caused a lot of discussion in recent weeks. Because that should finally be the end of it End of oil and gas heating be heralded. The future should then be the electric heat pump. That sounds like a good solution for the climate. But there are concerns. Because the refrigerants in heat pumps set off alarm bells for environmentalists. Propane is supposed to be used as a replacement, but even that isn’t without its problems.
Habeck’s heating plans: oil burners with e-fuels soon possible?
Even experts are skeptical. Just like the master heating engineer Oliver Gentzen from Kassel. He considers the rapid conversion from gas and oil heating systems to heat pumps to be “wrong”. And that despite the fact that he has been committed to heat pumps since 2004, as he made clear in an interview with IPPEN:MEDIA. The whole topic is not new to him.
Gentzen fears, however, that the obligation to change the heating system, which has now been brought forward, might become a problem. “We ask ourselves how this is supposed to work, because the technology has to be developed first,” says the heating engineer. “Things will be developed in the next five to six years that we are not yet thinking regarding.” He expects that the use of e-fuels will be possible as early as 2026. Two years ago he was informed by a well-known heating manufacturer that the first oil burners had been approved for e-fuels – only the inexpensive procurement of the raw material was still lacking.
Heat pumps with propane: heating engineers underestimated the dangers
And then there would still be the problem with the refrigerants. Both the federal government and the EU are currently considering which refrigerants should be banned in the future. But this should also mean the end for some heat pumps. Propane can then be used as a replacement. But Gentzen is reticent here.
Reason: “Propane currently has safety concerns”. He recently informed himself regarding the subject at a refrigeration school and was surprised by the findings. “I underestimated the dangers,” admits the heating expert. The substance is “highly explosive,” he explains further. He was told at the plant: “We expect houses to go up, but we don’t have to put any signs on them.” Let the others do it first.”
According to Gentzen, there have already been accidents with propane “and they were not without”. The big problem with the gas is that you can’t smell it. Unlike propane in camping stoves, for example, it cannot be mixed with fragrances for use in heat pumps. A leak might therefore remain undetected.
“The heat pump is not the panacea”
Even if the propane heat pumps were installed outside, serious accidents might occur, explains Gentzen. If the heat exchanger in the heat pump were to corrode, it would force the propane into the heating water. The gas would then escape into the room through quick air vents on the radiators.
The heating engineer is undecided. He would like the federal government to have more time – for technical developments, but also training and certifications. Nevertheless, he makes it clear: “The heat pump is not the panacea.” (ph)
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