Save Money with HERZ
Before the funding pot is empty
In Vienna's 18th district, a four-storey apartment in a family-owned period building is currently being converted to a more efficient energy supply with district heating. The decision was not only based on ecological considerations, but also on the attractive funding opportunities offered by the ongoing ‘Raus aus Öl und Gas’ (Out of Oil and Gas) campaign. On board are HERZ hydraulic interface units, which enable the gas boiler in the apartment units to be replaced in a time- and cost-saving manner.
The starting point
In 2019, a riser for the gas supply to the residential building was renovated to meet the new safety standards. When the current pressure requirements were reviewed last year, another renovation of the gas infrastructure was considered. The building owners decided to take a different path: switching to district heating. The conversion of the old building impressively shows how old building structures can be combined with modern energy solutions to not only increase living comfort, but also reduce CO₂ emissions and benefit from it.
HIU Renova as the perfect replacement for the gas boiler
As part of the conversion to district heating, most of the existing gas boilers were replaced by HERZ Renova hydraulic interface units. Flats with underfloor heating were equipped with HERZ HIU compact. Specially designed as a successor to gas boilers, HERZ HIU Renova uses the same connections as a gas boiler. This makes it easy to install in existing installation: the old gas boiler is simply removed and HIU Renova is installed in its place. A seamless process that saves a considerable amount of time.
HERZ Sales Director Susanne Juza emphasises: ‘At HERZ, we attach great importance to our products being easy to install on site and saving time. That's why most of our solutions, like the HIU Renova, are pre-assembled and ready to use. We know how precious time is.’
Martin Zellner, MSc, Managing Director of Gebäudetechnik Zellner GmbH, who is responsible for the project in Vienna's 18th district, also confirms this: ‘Installing HERZ hydraulic interface unit is so easy that no training is necessary. This saves us an enormous amount of time.’ He is not only convinced by the short commissioning time, but also by the compact size of the HERZ hydraulic interface units: ‘They fit unobtrusively into the living spaces, without taking up much space.’ The project shows that the combination of state funding, technical innovation and environmentally conscious planning is a successful recipe for the energy future.
Current funding (Austria)
In view of the attractive subsidies available under the ‘Raus aus Öl und Gas’ (Out of Oil and Gas) programme, switching to district heating is quickly becoming the preferred solution – for both private individuals and multi-storey residential buildings. As of October 2024, almost 96,000 applications for funding had already been submitted and over 77,000 registrations recorded. At present (October 2024), almost one billion euros in funding is still available. The subsidy is for replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a climate-friendly technology. If there is a connection to a local or district heating system, only this can be subsidised. If such a connection is not possible, a wood chip or pellet boiler or a heat pump is subsidised.
The subsidies cover up to 75% of the eligible investment costs, which consist of material costs, planning and installation, as well as the costs of dismantling and disposal.
Additional funding for the centralisation of the heating system
If the individual gas boilers in the apartments are replaced by a central climate-friendly heating system during the switch to a climate-friendly technology, funding can also be applied for here. The additional costs incurred will be subsidised in addition. In this case, centralisation must be carried out for the entire multi-storey building. The maximum amount of the subsidy varies depending on whether only the connection to the central heating system is prepared or whether the apartment is actually connected to the new central heating system.
If you want to avoid high conversion and investment costs for a central hot water system, including hot water distribution and circulation lines, HIU Renova is the right choice for you. With HIU Renova, the individual apartments are connected to the central heating system, such as district heating, for example, but the drinking water is heated in a hygienically decentralised manner directly in the apartment. This eliminates the need for long pipes and heat loss.
This also helps to prevent the spread of legionella. Since there is no need to store hot drinking water, the formation of harmful legionella bacteria is virtually eliminated.
Bonus promotions
In addition, there are special bonus subsidies, for example for converting to a continuous low-temperature system (low-temperature bonus) or for replacing a gas-fired cooker with an electric one (electric cooker bonus).
If you also carry out a thermal renovation of the building as part of the heating replacement, for example by insulating exterior walls or replacing old windows, you can apply for separate funding for this under the ‘Renovation cheque for multi-storey residential buildings’. Some requirements must be observed here. Detailed information and the option to create an application can be found at www.raus-aus-öl.at.
Get more information about HIU Renova
© 2024. HERZ
