Heating system traps

A few years ago, new-build apartments were quite uniform in terms of the heating systems implemented. Almost all construction companies installed a central furnace in their buildings and equipped the apartments with traditional radiators. Recently, several alternative methods have appeared, it is therefore recommended to check the heating system in the apartment before you decide to buy one. 

Many now advertise new-build apartments equipped with environmentally-friendly heating systems using green energy, and this itself is a positive development. Yet, it is advisable to thoroughly read the technical description and obtain clear information on what exactly environmentally-friendly means in the case of a specific apartment. A truly modern system using renewable energy is costly and complicated, and this must be reflected in the price of the property. One must bear in mind that the operation and maintenance of such systems is more expensive than those of traditional central heating systems based on a gas furnace. In short: you will get a bill at the end of the month. Furthermore, hot water supply is to be ensured as well and it usually is only the heating that uses renewable energy, hot water is still supplied by traditional methods (gas furnace, hot water tank). In order to heat the water, natural gas supply, chimney and the furnace are to be constructed, service personnel, consumption meters ensured just the same way as in traditional buildings. As the costs of this equipment and services are not shared with the heating service, hot water fees will be higher than average.

Often, renewable, environmentally-friendly is not exactly what we expect. Cooling, heating and air conditioning systems working on the heat-pump principle are one example. Such systems do provide cooling but they do so at the cost of heating as the latter also uses the flow of warm air and as the weather gets cold, efficiency decreases driving energy consumption up significantly. This method cannot be used to provide hot water, so a central gas furnace is to be installed in most cases anyway. In some cases, an electric water boiler is installed, with all its disadvantages.

Old solutions also resurface, such as district heating. As unique as it may sound, this also is considered to be environmentally friendly under Hungarian legislation. The reason for this is that the building being heated is practically a zero-emission one in terms of pollutant discharge (energy efficiency and the environmental impact of the power station providing the energy is a different topic we are not touching upon now). Those already knowing district heating from older prefab buildings will see technical improvements as measuring consumption individually and heating control of the individual radiators are now available. Yet, one should still expect to receive bills with high base-fees and relatively high usage fees. As most people are aware of the downsides of district heating and many do not like it, property developers do not emphasize that the heating system implemented in the building in fact will be district heating, and even formulate the technical description as obscurely as possible to conceal this fact. When in doubt, it is advisable to request details.

Air flow based systems, known by many as fan-coil and formerly available mostly in office buildings, are now also available in the residential market. Instead of traditional radiators, fan-coil systems use ventilating units beneath the windows and blow in heated air to warm up the apartment. The system providing heating energy can be different, even a gas furnace, the amounts on the heating bill will depend on the system used. The reason why fan-coil systems are not preferred by many is the same as it is in the case of air conditioners, namely that constant air-flow can be irritating, especially for those suffering from dust allergy.

Metrodom uses central heating in all its buildings currently being constructed, also for hot water supply. Currently, we consider individual consumption meters, heat control by individual radiators and a smart-home system controlling all these and adapted to your habits and needs to be the most efficient way to preserve energy and money. Metrodom has always believed in flawlessly operating and energy efficient solutions, which does not only help keeping construction costs down, but also ensures economical maintenance and operation for our customers. At Metrodom, we continuously seek ways to improve but would only like to commit to a solution that not only sounds good from a marketing angle, but also provides our customers with genuine advantages.