Amsterdam
The challenge
Ingeborg and Renze are looking for the ideal heat pump source for their houseboat in Amsterdam. They use so much gas that during the winter they no longer turn on the heating in a large part of their home, thus sacrificing living space. Their old German tour boat, converted into a waterfront home, has 52 single-glazed windows all around, resulting in a gigantic heat loss. The owners are embarrassed by their consumption of 4,000 cubic meters of gas per year.
Their desire is to exchange the gas boiler for a heat pump. Whether that is possible, is the question. After all, a gas boiler brings the water in the heating system to a temperature of eighty degrees Celsius; a heat pump only goes up to forty degrees Celsius. The first step is therefore to thoroughly insulate the houseboat.
The solution
After the necessary insulation measures, Ingeborg and Renze choose a modulating heat pump that produces exactly the heat they need. Because the pump delivers this heat directly to the heating pipes, a buffer tank proves unnecessary. This saves about a thousand liters of space and weight in the floating home. On the deck of the ship are Triple Solar PVT panels. These panels are the heat source for the heat pump. They also supply electricity.
Even in the first winter, Ingeborg and Renze experience that thanks to the heat pump it is now pleasantly warm throughout the ship. Even in the parts where they could not stay before because of the cold.
Ingeborg and Renze: ‘Generating your own energy: if it’s possible with us, it’s possible with everyone!’
The installation costs for this poorly insulated steel ship are significantly higher than those for a well-insulated water home. But thanks to the modulating heat pump, the energy bill of 300 euros per month is now reduced to 0 euros, enabling the costs to be recouped in only eight years.
