I still have an old gas heating system in my house and I'm wondering whether I should add a heat pump instead of replacing everything at once. Does that make economic sense, or should I just switch completely to a heat pump? With all these subsidy programs, it's getting harder and harder to figure out what's actually worth it.
At our place we thought about it similarly and ended up switching completely instead, because the hybrid solution ends up being more expensive - you're paying for two systems, need more space, and maintenance is more complicated 😅 Economically it often only makes sense if your gas heating is still relatively new and the heat pump is just meant for certain rooms. With older boilers like yours, I'd rather look into whether it becomes cheaper to switch completely with the current subsidy programs - there are different grants depending on the state and KfW loans. Best thing is to get a few concrete quotes from contractors and compare the total costs over 15-20 years, then you'll quickly see what's worth it.
Hybrid only makes economic sense if your gas boiler is still relatively new and you're building the heat pump up as your main system long-term - otherwise you're really paying double for installation, maintenance and space 🤔 The subsidies also differ quite a bit: with a complete switch you get significantly more funding than with a hybrid solution, which often eats up the cost difference in the end. My tip: have a local installer run the numbers on whether your current heating system will last another 5+ years - if yes, maybe wait a bit longer, if no, I'd just switch over completely and take advantage of the current funding.
Most subsidies are now geared toward switching completely - if you go hybrid, you get significantly less or nothing at all 🤷 I talked this through with someone who actually crunched the numbers: if your gas boiler is older than 15 years, a hybrid solution really doesn't make sense because you end up paying for two expensive systems running in parallel. The thing is, a heat pump alone usually gets you more funding - and that makes switching completely cheaper in the long run, even if the upfront costs seem higher.
The only real exception: your gas system is still pretty new and works great, and you can expand the heat pump step by step. Otherwise I'd honestly say - just bite the bullet and switch directly. Otherwise the subsidy disappears, and you won't make up that money in operating costs 😅
Financially speaking, a hybrid solution only makes sense under very specific conditions - and yours probably aren't met. Your gas boiler is old, which means it belongs in the trash anyway soon. If you now install a heat pump on top of that, you're paying for both systems, and you're not making your old boiler any more valuable. In the end you're stuck with two heat sources competing with each other, and when repairs come up you've got double maintenance contracts.
The subsidy is the decisive argument here. Current programs consistently reward a complete switch - if you go hybrid, you get significantly less money or nothing at all. That's a big difference in the overall financial picture. Your only real advantage would be if the gas boiler were brand new and the heat pump could develop over years. But that's not the case.
My tip that a lot of people overlook: get a proper assessment done before you decide. Because the question isn't just "heat pump or hybrid," it's also "which heat pump fits my house?" - air-source heat pump, ground-source heat pump, what's the insulation like, do you need radiant heating or will regular radiators do? An advisor can also tell you whether your house is even ideal for a heat pump at all. Switching directly usually makes more sense than going the hybrid route, but only if the conditions are right.
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