Replacing heating systems with heat pumps: innovative technologies make this possible even in old buildings

Allendorf (Eder), Nov 9, 2021 – Climate change is no unavoidable fate; everyone can still contribute to preserving our living spaces for our children and grandchildren. A good start with an immediate impact is replacing obsolete oil and gas heating systems with climate-friendly heating systems such as heat pumps. Because since they are powered by green electricity, they produce CO2-free heat for heating and DHW generation. With the new air/water heat pumps Vitocal 250-A and Vitocal 252-A, modernizing heating systems in old buildings is now easily possible. This is thanks to innovations such as the particularly climate-friendly refrigerant, patented hydraulics and the new electronics platform with Viessmann Energy Management.

Existing radiators can continue to be used

Vitocal 250-A is designed as a particularly space-saving wall-mounted boiler, while the Vitocal 252-A is the floorstanding compact unit with integral 190-liter DHW cylinder. The devices, specially developed for the modernization of heating systems in single- and two-family homes, use the refrigerant R290 (propane), which is particularly climate-friendly compared to the refrigerants used in conventional heat pumps.

By using this refrigerant, the new heat pumps achieve high flow temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius – even if the temperature outside is minus 15 degrees Celsius. This means previously existing radiators can usually continue to be used. The installation of floor heating is not a requirement, which keeps the costs of the modernization in check. 

Low-cost installation through innovative hydraulics

Replacing a heating system with one of the new heat pumps also saves money thanks to a patented Hydro AutoControl hydraulic system. It can be adjusted to fit almost all existing heating systems during modernization measures and reduces the installation time considerably compared to conventional heat pumps. Furthermore, the hydraulics reduce the space requirements for the system by almost two thirds. 

Preserving resources with Viessmann Energy Management

The electronic platform for the new heat pumps comes with integrated WLAN. This way, heating times and temperatures can be comfortably set from your smartphone using the free ViCare App. Users can also hire a specialist company to monitor their heating online. This offers maximum safety because the service staff will constantly keep an eye on the heating and can promptly detect and rectify irregularities – often long before the users of the heating system notice anything at all.

The innovative Viessmann Energy Management can also be integrated into the electronic platform on request. It incorporates devices such as the Vitocal heat pumps and, if applicable, existing electricity storage systems/batteries, DHW cylinder and electrical consumer(s) in an overall system and makes energy flows transparent. Above all though, it enables the particularly energy-efficient, resource-conserving and cost-reducing operation of the system. 

State subsidies of up to 50 percent

The Vitocal 250-A and Vitocal 252-A heat pumps are highly efficient and generate heat in a particularly climate-friendly manner. The German government offers attractive support for their use in modernization projects. Replacing an old gas heating system with one of these is rewarded with a grant covering up to 35 percent of the costs for its acquisition and installation as well as the automatic flow balancing. If an old oil heating system is replaced with an air/water heat pump, the subsidy increases to 45 percent. If you submit an individual renovation roadmap with your energy consultant, you can get an extra bonus of 5 percent. This means that if the roadmap includes the replacement of the gas heating system, the resulting maximum amount of the subsidy would reach 50 percent.

As a first step, the Viessmann FörderProfi (Subsidy Pro) can check on request and free of charge under foerder-profi.de whether the planned project is eligible for subsidies before helping builders, modernizers or specialist partners move from the application stage to the payout of the subsidy. 

Benefits for users

• Low operating costs through high efficiency and self-optimizing heat pump
• Appealing, high quality design of internal and external unit
• Only 0.52 m2 footprint (Vitocal 252-A)
• Environmentally friendly refrigerant propane R290
• Simple operation through integrated Wi-Fi interface via ViCare app
• Advanced Acoustic Design for low operating noise levels

Technical specifications

• Output: 10 and 13.0 kW (for A7/W35)
• COP value (coefficient of performance): > 5.4 (for A7/W35)
• Maximum flow temperature: 70°C (down to -15°C)
• Noise emissions: 34 dB(A) (noise pressure level of the external unit at a distance of 4 m in free-standing installation in noise-reduced mode)