Heating Film and Heat Pump: Heat Pump Disadvantages and Advantages Compared with Heating Film

Heating film and a heat pump do not exclude each other: both run on electricity, both can be combined with solar panels, and both can sit side by side in one house. The question is rather which pays off better in a given building – a heat pump is cheaper to run, but heating film has a far lower investment cost. Below we show how a heat pump works, what its installation requires, and what to consider when comparing the two systems.

What is a heat pump, and what is needed to install one?

A heat pump uses the heat of ambient air, the ground or groundwater for heating. Unlike gas heating systems, it does not burn fossil fuel: you do not pay for the ambient heat, and the unit uses electricity to extract the heat and raise it to a higher temperature.

Its operation is often compared to a refrigerator, only in the reverse direction. A refrigerator pumps heat from its interior into the surroundings, so its interior cools down. A heat pump draws heat from the environment: the energy of the heat source evaporates the refrigerant, the compressor compresses it to a higher temperature, in the condenser the heat is passed to the heating system, and after the expansion valve the cycle starts again.

According to Bosch's overview of heat pump types, the main elements of heat pump heating are:

• the heat source: air, groundwater or ground;
• the heat pump itself, with the compressor, condenser and expansion valve;
• the heat distribution and storage system, which delivers the heat energy to the rooms.

According to the overview's diagram, roughly 25% of the heat energy delivered comes from electricity and 75% from the environment – which is why the heat pump is considered an efficient system.

Comparing heating film and a heat pump

How environmentally friendly is a heat pump?

A heat pump is rightly regarded as an environmentally friendly solution, because it gets the larger part of its heat from the environment. But environmental impact and cost are two separate questions: a high investment and installation cost does not make the system less green, but it does affect whether it pays back in a given house. Heating film also burns nothing on site; how environmentally friendly it is depends on the source of the electricity.

Can a heat pump be installed in every house?

The installation conditions differ by type. For ground-source and groundwater systems, the features of the plot decide: space is needed for the probes or wells, and the ground or groundwater has to be suitable. An air-source heat pump has no such ground requirement; there the placement and noise of the outdoor unit are the main considerations. A heat pump works most efficiently with a low-temperature heat emitter, for example underfloor heating.

Which is cheaper?

The investment cost is much lower for heating film, so a heat pump pays back much more slowly. In operation the situation is reversed: the monthly cost of heating film is in many cases higher than that of a heat pump, because it uses more electricity for the same amount of heat. The electricity cost of heating film can be reduced with solar panels. You will find a concrete calculation at today's prices in our cost comparison of heat pumps and infrared heating.

Can it be combined with solar panels?

Yes, both systems can be well complemented with solar panels, and with both it reduces the amount of electricity bought from the grid. How much depends also on the metering method. According to MVM Optimum, gross metering has applied in Hungary since 1 January 2024: the monthly electricity drawn and fed in are read separately from the meter. According to the summary of the solar association (MNNSZ), only those who submitted their installation request by 13 September 2023 and commission the system by 1 January 2026 are entitled to net metering – and even then for up to 10 years.

Since a heat pump investment is much more expensive, which system pays off better has to be calculated from the floor area, the insulation and consumption habits. We compare further electric heating methods on our page on electric heating; you can ask for a proposal for your own house on our quote request page. Installation is available in Hungary.