What does the investment bring – you can save a lot on heating costs thanks to hydraulic balancing

A common phenomenon with radiators is that when you turn up the thermostat, some will get hot immediately and others will stay lukewarm forever. Have you ever wondered why that is?

The reason for this could be a poorly adjusted heating system. In this case, radiators that are further away from the heating pump are poorly supplied with hot water. This is also due to pipes of different lengths and thicknesses in the heating system.

If bleeding the heater doesn’t fix the problem, hydraulic balancing can help. You can find out how this works and why it helps you save in the long term here.

What is hydronic balancing?

First of all: Unfortunately, you cannot carry out the hydraulic compensation on your own, this requires qualified personnel. If you are the owner of a house or an apartment, you have to hire someone, for example a heating engineer or even an energy consultant.

As a tenant, it is best to inform the landlord if certain radiators are not working properly. The experts proceed as follows with hydraulic compensation:

1. Determine current status:
   All radiators and their condition are documented.
2. Calculate heating load:
   It is important to find out how much heat is required to maintain the desired room temperature. Insulation, windows and ventilation also play a role here.
3. Optimum values:
   The specialist staff determines the optimal flow and return temperature of the water for each radiator.
4. Power of the pump:
   The optimal performance of the heating pump can be calculated from the flow resistance.
5. Optimized setting:
   Based on all this data, the thermostatic valves and the boiler are perfectly adjusted.

An important prerequisite for hydraulic balancing are presettable thermostatic valves, which you can recognize by the notches or a scale after removing the plastic cap. It doesn’t work without them.

That’s how much it costs

The whole effort for the heating engineer must of course be paid for. The costs can vary greatly depending on the size of the living space and the number of radiators, but the specialist staff must plan half a working day to a full working day for this. In total, this will cost you between 500 and 1,000 euros – ask for a cost estimate.

The important question now is:
How much savings does the investment bring?

The portal CO2online has calculated that you can save heating costs of around 75 euros per year – if the prices continue to rise, you will also save more at the same time. In addition, a new heating pump can provide further savings, so that costs are reduced by around 125 euros per year.

In the long run, the hydronic balancing would therefore pay for itself. In addition, you finally have working radiators and pleasant warmth in all rooms.

Anyone who taps into funding saves

The good news is that the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) supports hydronic balancing as an individual measure with 15 percent of eligible expenditure.

There is a further five percent if the comparison takes place as part of an individual renovation schedule (minimum investment of 300 euros). With total costs of 1,000 euros, you can receive up to 200 euros from the state as a subsidy.

The Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW) only grants subsidies for hydraulic balancing if you renew or completely replace your heating system at the same time.