Wood Stove and Heat Pump

Modern low-energy houses have such low heat demand that many builders consider a wood stove unnecessary. The opposite is true: it's precisely in a well-insulated new build that a wood stove shows its strengths.

A wood stove delivers heat exactly when it's needed. In autumn and spring, when the heating system is not yet running or has already been switched off, it provides pleasant temperatures. On cold winter days, it can quickly and cost-effectively cover peak demand that a heat pump alone would only be able to handle with higher electricity consumption.

This is especially true for air-to-water heat pumps, whose efficiency drops at outdoor temperatures below 5 °C. This is exactly where a wood stove provides effective support: it reduces the heating load, the heat pump has to work less, and the expensive electric heating element is used less often.

In addition, a wood stove is more flexible in output than any other heating system: when it's off, it produces zero output. This is a genuine advantage in a low-energy house, since rooms barely cool down and often need only a short pulse of heat.

Heat pumps are now standard in new builds. As the sole heating system, they reach their limits at cold outdoor temperatures. A wood stove is an ideal complement to a heat pump:

The heat pump covers the base heat demand for the room. The wood stove takes over peak demand, especially on cold days. The additional heat from the stove lowers the heat pump's flow temperature, which noticeably improves its efficiency. This reduces the heat pump's modulation, which protects the compressor and extends the system's lifespan.

Under the German Buildings Energy Act (GEG), a wood stove can be credited with 10% toward the required 65% share of renewable energy. Combining a heat pump with a wood stove is therefore sensible not only technically, but also from a regulatory standpoint.

And: in the event of a power outage, the wood stove remains the only heat source that keeps working. More and more homeowners value this independence and supply security.