Blick answers the most important questions about climate-friendly heating systems: Can the heat pump be attached to the garden fence?

There are three different types of heat pumps. They differ in how they generate heat: outside air, geothermal heat or groundwater. Air and geothermal heat pumps are the most common.

“The geothermal probe is more efficient than the air outside, as a higher temperature can be obtained from the Earth,” says Andreas Edelmann, 52, energy expert and president of the environmentally-conscious homeowners’ association Casafair Zurich. According to Edelmann, groundwater is even better at around 10 degrees Celsius, but it “cannot be touched and used everywhere.”

Owners of a detached house must calculate between CHF 30,000 and CHF 70,000 including installation. “Prices vary widely depending on the property, the condition on site, and the service required,” Edelmann says. It also depends on how big the house is and its heat requirement and how good the insulation standard is.

An air heat pump is slightly cheaper to install, but requires more electricity to operate. A geothermal heat pump requires less electricity to operate, so it is more efficient and cheaper in the long run. However, installation usually costs more.

In most cases it makes sense to connect it to the existing heat dissipation where the old heating was located. However, an air heat pump needs air supply through a window or light shaft. The water heat pump needs groundwater in the ground, and the geothermal heat pump needs deep drilling.

Heat pumps are noisy when drawing air. That is why they are sometimes installed in the garden. Advantage: no noise emission and space problem in the house. However, neighbors may be disturbed by the noise.

This varies from canton to canton. “In Switzerland, the noise protection regulation must be complied with,” says Stefan Aeschi (51), an energy and construction technologist at the homeowners’ association. This means that noise emissions must be measured and not exceed a certain value. This rule applies to all Switzerland.

But practice is handled differently. Cantons such as Zurich have simplified the procedure considerably and in most cases only one notification procedure is required. In other cantons, a permit is required along with a building permit.

Air source heat pumps are noisy and can disturb other residents even if all limit values ​​are respected. “If the noise protection regulation is followed, the neighbor cannot successfully counteract it,” says Aeschi. Unlike Germany, where in many places minimum distances to the border fence must be observed, there are no such regulations in Switzerland.

“Yes, it largely depends on the device,” Aeschi says. Heat pumps tend to be quieter in recent years. The volume is declared in the product data sheets. Of course, it’s also useful for proof of noise protection if a slightly quieter device is chosen. Otherwise, structural measures can also reduce noise emissions.

Peterhans of the Swiss heat pump association says a delivery time of four to five months should be expected. On the one hand, because demand exceeds supply. “On the other hand, because drilling companies and plumbers have full books and have to place additional orders.”

If you want a heat pump now, Peterhans recommends taking action now. “It’s best to get the permits and apply for funding right away.” Then there is a chance that the house can be heated with a heat pump this winter.

It also depends on the device and the canton, sometimes even individual municipalities. In the canton of Zurich, an air source heat pump in a detached house costs 4,650 francs and a ground source heat pump costs 10,650 francs. 6,000 francs for an air heat pump and 10,000 francs for a geothermal heat or water-based heat pump in the canton of Bern.